Why FIU Football Will Be Faster And Stronger In 2025

When Hickman arrived on campus, he noticed the hunger and desire to work in a team that included 24 players added via through the transfer portal and 23 true freshmen.

"The guys seemed like they were hungry initially and then when we got to work, we then saw that they were hungry, they wanted to be pushed, wanted to be challenged and they weren't going to back down," Hickman said. "Everything is an evaluation, you come in and you try to gain as much information as you can on the front end about the guys, but you have to see them in front of you and see how they respond. You have to see if they are disciplined, hungry, self motivated, what drives them emotionally, what drives them intrinsically."

Under Hickman's tutelage, the Panthers have gotten noticeably faster with the offensive and defensive line showing the biggest improvements.

From the secondary, cornerback Brian Blades II reached 22.04 mph on the 10-yard fly. Staying on the defensive side of the ball, Ashton Levells, who went from a 1.5 ten-yard split to around a 1.4.

On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver Andre Brown reached 22.23 mph on the 10-yard fly while freshman wideout Tyson Carter reached 22.23 mph as well.

Here's how the skill position players averaged out on speed testing.

Big Skill Splits

Offensive and Defensive Lineman

Some standouts in the weight room are defensive lineman Qauylen Hill, who recently squatted 730 lbs, benched 455 lbs, and 405 lb clean. Linebacker Dwight Nunoo benched 380 lbs, Marshall defensive line transfer Olasunkonmi Agunloye benched 425 lbs, redshirt junior Richard Nwaukoni benched 415 lbs, and freshman Anthony Smith did 28 reps of 225 lbs during a bench test. Wide receiver Ross Fournet benched 350 lb.

Safety Shamir Sterlin posted a 10'11" on the broad jump and when it comes to players verticals, cornerback Mister Clark had a 40," Shamir Sterlin with a 39," JUCO safety transfer Ormond Wallace with 38," and Ashton Levells with 38."

On offense, Hawaii transfer wide receiver Alex Perry had a 10’8” broad jump and Louisville transfer Jojo Stone had a 38” vertical.

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