MIAMI (June 17, 2016) – Athlon Sports' 2016 Preseason All-Conference USA Teams were announced on Friday and FIU football had 10 players recognized. Senior Jonnu Smith, and junior Anthony Wint were named a first-team selection, while senior Michael Montero earned second-team recognition. Juniors Alex Gardner, Thomas Owens and Jordan Budwig along with sophomore Anthony Jones received third-team honors. Junior Alex McGough and seniors Davison Colimon and Austin Taylor were named to the fourth team.
 
Smith, who was named a first-teamer at tight end, appeared and started in eight games for the Panthers being named an All-C-USA Honorable Mention selection in 2015. The Ocala, Florida, caught 36 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns. Before missing the final four games due to injury, Smith caught a pass in 32-straight games. Despite missing games due to injury, Smith was second on the team in touchdown catches. He tied a career-high in receptions with 10 versus Old Dominion (Oct. 24), tallying a career-best 183 yards, fourth-most in school history, and two touchdowns versus the Monarchs. He was named the Mackey Tight End of the Week (Week 8) after his performance versus ODU. Following his junior season, Smith is first at FIU in career catches (136), yards (1,495) and touchdowns (14) by a tight end. Smith was named to the John Mackey Watch List.
 
Wint, who earned first-team recognition at linebacker, appeared and started in all 12 games for the Panthers and was named a Second-Team All-C-USA selection in 2015. The Homestead, Florida, native led FIU with 88 tackles (41 solo), ranking No. 16 in C-USA in total tackles. Wint also notched 5.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, one interception, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries. His two fumble recoveries ranked No. 24 in the nation. He set single-season career bests in tackles, tackles for loss, sacks, pass breakups and fumble recoveries in 2015, while recording 10-or-more tackles five times, including a career-high 13 at Indiana (Sept. 12). He recorded his first collegiate interception versus NC Central (Sept. 19) and notched a career-best 2.0 tackles for loss at LA Tech
 
Montero, who received second-team honors on the offensive line, started in all 12 games at center for the Panthers, earning Second-Team All-C-USA honors last season. The native of Miami was named game captain three times (at Indiana - 9/12; UTEP - 10/10; Charlotte - 11/7) and was part of an offensive line that helped gained 4,173 yards (fifth-most in school history), including 2,854 through the air (second-most in school history). He helped FIU record a school-record 22 TD passes and 15 rushing TDs (sixth-most in school history). He also helped FIU produced 518 yards total offense (seventh-most in school history) with 150 yards on the ground and 368 yards through the air versus UTEP. Guiding FIU to over 400 yards of offense six times, Montero aided FIU in scoring multiple TDs on offense in 10 of the team's 12 games.
 
Gardner, a third-team honoree at running back, appeared in all 12 games for the Panthers, starting in 11 in 2015. The Jacksonville, Florida, native rushed for 760 yards on 186 carries and nine touchdowns, averaging 4.1 yards-per-carry and 63.3 yards-per-game. His nine scores were tied for the third-most in a season at FIU. Gardner also caught 60 passes for 442 yards and one touchdown. He averaged 7.4 yards-per-catch and 36.8 yards-per-game. Last season, Gardner set the school record for running backs for receptions and receiving yards in a season. He ranked ninth in C-USA in rushing (63.3 ypg) and tenth in the league in receptions-per-game (5.0). He was tied for the team lead in scoring (10 TDs, 1 2XP) and his 62 points in TDs ranked No. 10 in C-USA.
 
 
Owens, a third-team selection at wide receiver, appeared and started in all 12 games for the Panthers last season. The native of Boynton Beach, Florida, recorded 51 catches for a team-high 638 yards and eight touchdowns. His eight TD receptions tied the school record for touchdowns catches in a season. Owens averaged 12.5 yards-per-catch and 53.2 yards receiving-per-game. He was second on the team in receptions and Set the school record for consecutive games with a touchdown reception (6 - 9/12/15 - 10/17/15). During the 2015 season, Owens ranked No. 37 in the nation in touchdown catches. Owens had two 100-yard receiving games, a 166-yard performance at Indiana (9/12) - the fourth-most receiving yards in a single game in FIU history.
 
Budwig, a third-team selection on the offensive line, missed the 2015 season due to injury. In 2014, Budwig appeared in all 12 games for the Panthers. The Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, native helped FIU record 1,502 net rushing yards (4th-most in school history). They also led FIU's offense to 125.5 net yards-per-game (5th-best average all-time at FIU). Budwig helped the Panthers gain 144 yards on the ground and 231 through the air as FIU scored four offensive touchdowns versus Middle Tennessee (11/15/14) and anchored a line that produced 256 yards on the ground (seventh-most in FIU history) at Old Dominion (11/8/14). With Budwig on the line, FIU's offense recorded a season-high of 388 yards of total offense versus the Monarchs. They also helped the Panthers' offense produced a season-high 236 yards though the air versus Pittsburgh (9/13/14), including two passing touchdowns.
 
Jones, a third-team selection at both a kick returner and punt returner, appeared in 11 games for the Panthers, starting in two last season. The Miami product averaged 23.3 yards-per-game in kick returns, finishing second on the team. He returned three kicks for 96 yards (32.0 yards-per-return) at Middle Tennessee (10/17). In his first season with the Panthers, Jones rushed for 243 yards on 48 carries with two touchdowns and caught five passes for 22 yards. Scored both rushing touchdown on 26-yard runs.
 
McGough, a fourth-team selection at quarterback, appeared and started in all 12 games for the Panthers under center in 2015. The Tampa native finished the year completing 269-of-420 for 2,722 yards and 21 touchdowns. McGough set FIU single-season records in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns during 2015. He threw for over 200 yards eight times, including a career-best 390 yards versus Old Dominion (10/24). McGough also rushed for 95 yards on 88 carries with three touchdowns. He ranked No. 36, nationally in TD passes and No. 47 in passing yards. Last season, McGough completed 64.0 percent of his passes good for No. 3 in C-USA and No. 23 nationally.
 
Colimon, a fourth-teamer at linebacker, missed last season due to injury in the team's first game at UCF. In 2014, Colimon appeared in 12 games, starting nine for FIU, recording 46 tackles (No. 4 on the team). The West Palm Beach, Fla., native recovered three fumbles (tied for No. 8 in the nation; tied for No. 2 in the C-USA). A 2014 All-C-USA Honorable Mention selection, Colimon recorded his first-career interception (79-yard interception for a TD) vs. Middle Tennessee (Nov. 15). The pick six was the second-longest interception for a touchdown in school history. For his performance versus the Blue Raiders, Colimon was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week (Week 12) and College Football Performance Awards recognized him as Linebacker of the Week for the MTSU game. On the year, he had 8.0 tackles for loss (No. 3 on the team), including 4.0 sacks (No. 4 on the team).
 
Taylor, named fourth-team as a kicker, appeared in all 12 games for the Panthers last year. The native of Punta Gorda, Florida, converted 10-of-14 field goals and 32-of-36 extra-point attempts. Taylor ranked seventh in C-USA in field goal percentage, converting 71.4 percent of his attempts. He was tied for the team lead in scoring (62 points) and was ninth in the conference in scoring among kickers. Taylor made two field goals of 40-or-more yards, including a season-long 47-yarder at Florida Atlantic. He was also responsible for the majority of the team's kickoff, recording 57 for an average of 59.6 yards-per-kick, with 18 touchbacks.
 
 
 
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The 2016 FIU football season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 1, when the Panthers host the Indiana Hoosiers.


FIU's 2016 schedule is highlighted with games against Miami Beach Bowl and 2015 C-USA champion WKU, R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl champion Louisiana Tech, St. Petersburg Bowl champion Marshall, Popeyes Bahama Bowl participant Middle Tennessee, and New Era Pinstripe Bowl participant Indiana. In addition, the Panthers will face Maryland, Massachusetts, UCF, Florida Atlantic, UTEP, Charlotte and Old Dominion. 
 
For FIU football ticket information, contact the University Credit Union Box Office at 305-FIU-GAME (348-4263).
 
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.



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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/.