NEW YORK (Oct. 19, 2016) – Senior
Jonnu Smith has been named John Mackey Tight End of the Week Honorable Mention for the week ending Oct. 16, announced on Wednesday.
Smith caught the game-winning touchdown versus Charlotte last Saturday as the Ocala, Florida, product grabbed a nine-yard pass from
Alex McGough with 1:05 left in the contest. Smith's touchdown capped-off a 14-point rally in the final 4:21 as FIU won's its third-straight Conference USA contest, 27-26.
Smith has appeared and started in seven games for the Panthers, leading the team in receptions (28) with 285 receiving yards. Averaging 10.2 yards-per-catch, Smith has caught a pass in 39-straight games – tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the nation. He is also on pace to tie the school record for consecutive games with a reception (44 - Cory McKinney - 2002-2005). Smith has caught at least three passes in each of the team's seven games this season, including a season-high eight versus Indiana during the season opener (Sept. 1).
The 2016 John Mackey recipient will be announced on December 7, 2016 and then presented live on December 8, 2016 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Red Carpet Show on ESPNU. Other key dates include the announcement of the 2016 Mackey Midseason Watch List on October 12, 2016, the 2016 Mackey Semi-finalists on November 14, 2016 and the 2016 Mackey Finalists on November 22, 2016.
The John Mackey Tight End of the Week is an honor distinct and different from the annual John Mackey Award. This weekly honor was started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by Tight Ends during the active season. The Tight End of the Week acknowledgment does not have a direct bearing on the final John Mackey Award selection process. The John Mackey Tight End of the Week honor will run until the announcement of the eight Semi-Finalists.
The John Mackey Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) which encompasses the most prestigious awards in college football. The 22 awards boast over 722 years of tradition-selection excellence. Visit
http://www.NCFAA.org to learn more about our story.
The Friends of John Mackey is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee. Please visit
www.johnmackeyaward.com for all Mackey Award related information.
#####
For the latest information on Panthers football, follow us on Twitter, @FIUFootball, and check out
Pete Pelegrin's in-depth coverage of FIU Athletics on his official blog, The Prowl, at
www.FIUSports.com.
#####
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/.
