By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @Petepelegrin

Before the first year under FIU Coach Butch Davis, FIU football strength and conditioning coach Chad Smith altered the Panthers training program to help produce the results Davis wanted.

Smith tailored the offseason program to help the Panthers get stronger and more explosive on the field.

"We changed the training strategies to focus more on pure power and strength," said Smith, who begins his sixth season as FIU football's strength coach. "In the winter we didn't run as much to pack on the pounds. The methods changed. It was for them to take the last couple of sets to failure. The goal was to increase weight or reps. We needed to get bigger, stronger and faster. The guys' work ethic to attack every set or rep was the difference."

In the early summer when training camp drew near Smith changed the focus to conditioning and acceleration in order to get the Panthers ready for camp.

According to Smith, here were some of the highlights of the Panthers offseason strength and conditioning program:

Smith said the linebackers were the best position group in the offseason program.

"Treyvon Williams was amazing and Anthony Wint is the Incredible Hulk because he is so powerful and is such a specimen, such raw strength," Smith said. "Fred Russ was the pit-bull because he held everyone accountable and showed true leadership."

Williams's vertical jump went from 31 inches to 35.5. Williams had a vertical of 29 inches as a freshman four years ago. Williams also increased his squat from 450 pounds to 560 pounds. The fifth-year linebacker dropped his time in the 40 from a 4.94 to 4.72 and trimmed his body fat from nine percent to five percent.

Williams is also the strongest Panther on the bench press maxing out at 420 pounds and benching 225 pounds a team-best 27 reps.

Wint squats a team-high 600 pounds which is a 250-pound increase from his freshman year of 2014. Wint increased his vertical from 27 inches to 35 in his four years at FIU. Wint has just 3.7 percent body fat.

Smith said Russ has really developed as a leader on and off the field. Besides knocking his body fat from 17 percent his freshman year to a current 9.5 percent, Russ keeps his teammates in line.

"Fred Russ has made such tremendous strides," Smith said. "As a freshman three years ago he wasn't accountable. But he's really bought in and disciplines his teammates. If a player is late to a workout or breakfast, then Fred has them do stadium steps or bear crawls later in the day."

Smith said some of the hardest workers were cornerbacks Emmanuel Lubin and Isaiah Brown. Both run the fastest 40s on the team at 4.56. Brown packed on 20 pounds from 166 a year ago to a current 186 pounds.

"Ike Brown benched just 185 pounds a year ago and is now at 300 pounds," Smith said. "He couldn't' bench 225 pounds not once and now he does eight reps. He had a hell of a summer just like Lubin."

Lubin added nine pounds from 181 to 190, increased his squat from 330 to 400 pounds. Lubin was at five reps on the 225-pound bench press and now can do 15 reps at a time.

Before Smith went into the other positions, he showed a chart of the increases made by the Panthers as a team.

Smith said as a team FIU shaved 6.91 seconds off its 40 times. Last year FIU had 32 players that ran the 40 under 5.0, this year it's up to 40 players. Twelve Panthers ran under 4.8 last year, this year 24 Panthers have a 40 under 4.8. Just four Panthers ran under 4.7 last year, this year its 12 Panthers that can do that.

Lubin and Brown are the fastest at 4.56. Maurice Alexander is next with a 4.57, 40 and then Julian Williams with a 4.59.

Here are the team numbers for the other exercises:

Back squat: (Highest squatter – Anthony Wint 600 pounds)
2016 – 28 players squatted 405+ pounds, 2017 – 46 players
2016 – 12 players squatted 450+ pounds, 2017 – 33 players
2016 – 6 players squatted 500+ pounds, 2017 – 19 players
2016 – 3 players squatted 550+ pounds, 2017 – 10 players
 
Vertical jump (Highest vertical – Tyree Johnson and Bryce Singleton 39 inches)
2016 – 41 players jumped 30+ inches, 2017 – 55 players
2016 – 24 players jumped 32+ inches, 2017 – 31 players
2016 – 11 players jumped 34+ inches, 2017 – 18 players
2016 – 2 players jumped 36+ inches, 2017 – 6 players
 
Bench press (Highest bench – Treyvon Williams 420 pounds, 27 reps of 225 pounds)
2016 – 38 players did 10 reps of 225 pounds, 2017 – 63 players
2016 – 18 players did 15 reps of 225 pounds, 2017 – 38 players
2016 – 4 players did 20 reps of 225 pounds, 2017 – 10 players

Smith said among the quarterbacks, Alex McGough and Maurice Alexander had the best offseasons.

"McGough's work ethic and his focus were key to his success," Smith said. "McGough and Maurice beat all the skills players (receivers and defensive backs) except Ike Brown in all the conditioning stuff."

McGough trimmed his body fat from 10.6 percent to 6.1. The senior quarterback increased his vertical jump from 28.5 to 32 inches, added 50 pounds to his squat to 400 pounds. McGough also got faster going from 4.89 to 4.65 in the 40. Alexander added to his vertical from 31 to 34 inches and knocked his 40 time from 4.65 to 4.57.

Sophomore Shawndarrius Phillips stood out among the running backs. Phillips dropped 12 pounds from 230 to 218 and shaved his body fat from 19 percent to 9.7.
Phillips took his squat from 350 pounds to 480 pounds and added more than five inches to his vertical going from 30 to 35.5. And in a matter of three months knocked his 40 time from 5.01 to 4.76.

Senior receiver Thomas Owens is looking for a big final season as a Panther. Owens got a good start in the offseason.

"T.O. added weight but he also got faster with the extra weight," Smith said. "You don't often see that with football players."

Owens went from 195 pounds to his current weight of 213. Owens dropped his 40 time from 4.84 to 4.69 and increased his vertical jump from 29.5 to 34.5. Owens's squat went from 420 to 500 pounds and upped his bench from 280 to 325 pounds.

Jordan Budwig led the offensive line. After not having played for two years because of a shoulder injury, Budwig could not bench 225 pounds in January. Now that he's fully healed Budwig cranks out 18 reps of 225 pounds on a regular basis and maxes out at 350 pounds.

"Budwig was great going from 25.2 percent body fat to 19.1 percent," Smith said. "Anytime you can get an offensive lineman in the teens in body fat that is good."

Budwig was also able to hit 600 pounds on the squat.

"We hoped to change the culture to get guys to buy into the word grit," Smith said. "When you get knocked down, you get back up again. I felt like everyone bought in. We wanted to get stronger, increase size and get faster and we did that. Coach Davis hiring a nutritionist to show these guys how to eat really helped out. This is the most confident and excited I've been in my six years here. It's pretty special what Coach Davis has implemented here."