MIAMI (Dec. 18, 2015) – The FIU football program added Dallas Connell, Douglas Connell and Isaiah Hill as early enrollees Head Coach Ron Turner announced on Friday.
 
The three early enrollees join mid-year junior college transfer Newton Salisbury as the first members of FIU's 2016 signing class.
 
"We are having a tremendous recruiting class right now," Turner said. "I wish we had about another 10-15 scholarships because there are a lot of good players out there that we are not going to be able to take. These four guys are going to come in and help us right away and be very good players for the future. Newt has three years to play two and the other guys have five years to play four plus spring ball. They are going to be here for a while and it's the start of a really good class."
 
Dallas Connell, a 6-foot-3, 283-pound offensive guard at First Coast High in Jacksonville, Fla., was a four-year letterwinner with the Buccaneers. He helped First Coast to three-straight Gateway Conference Championships (2012, 2013, 2014). During the 2014 season, Connell anchored a line that helped the Buccaneers throw for 3,783 yards and 47 passing touchdowns, while rushing for 1,391 yards with 22 rushing scores. A year earlier, First Coast rushed for 1,959 yards and 25 touchdowns, while recording 3,013 yards and 32 TDs. A 2015 team captain, Connell was a North Florida Football Coaches Association first-team selection. A member of the National Honor Society, Connell and his brother Douglas took part in mission work in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.
  
"Dallas is guy that we had in camp that we really like," Turner said. "He's really aggressive. We see him playing more of the tackle position. He's really athletic and has great feet. He does a tremendous job in finishing his blocks downfield. Dallas give great effort every play."
 
Douglas Connell, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound center at First Coast High, joins his brother Dallas as an early enrollee on the FIU offensive line. A 2015 team captain, Connell was part of a Buccaneer line that put up over 5,000 yards (passing and rushing) and 69 touchdowns in 2014 and 57 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 total yards in 2013. First Coast won three-straight conference titles (2012, 2013, 2014) with Connell on the line. A four-year letterwinner with the Buccaneers, Connell was a first-team selection by the North Florida Football Coaches Association. A member of the National Honor Society, Connell and his brother Dallas took part in mission work in the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.  
 
"Doug is a guy that we are looking at more inside; either center or guard," Turner said. "We had him in camp and really like his leadership. He has good versatility, playing tackle, guard and center in high school. I think he's got a tremendous upside."
 
Isaiah Hill, a 6-foot-1 safety from Florida High in Tallahassee, recorded 135 total tackles with 82 solo and 53 assisted in four years with the Seminoles. He also collected three interceptions and eight pass deflections during his high school career. He also saw time under center, completing 96-of-154 passes (62.3 percent) for 1,270 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 12 touchdown passes came during his senior year where he threw for 1,210 yards on 93-of-146 passing (63.7 percent). Hill found the endzone on the ground two times, rushing for 420 yards on 60 carries (7.0 yards-per-carry). Hill also had offers from Appalachian State, Army, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama and Southern Miss.
 
"Isaiah is an athlete," Turner said. "He's a really good athlete, who is very intelligent having graduated from high school in three years. He's going to transfer in with 24 college credits as he's been taking classes at a junior college. He's very bright. Isaiah has played everywhere for his high school. He's a safety but played quarterback. This past year he played quarterback, receiver and running back. He's a very versatile athlete with outstanding speed and very good ball skills." 
 
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.