Photo by Alex J. Hernandez Freshman quarterback Wayne Younger fires a pass during team drills Friday afternoon during FIU football practice.

Roster in PDF Format | Depth Chart
    • Download Free Adobe

Roster in Microsoft Word Format | Depth Chart
    • Download Free Word Viewer

The FIU football team went from dawn practice on Thursday, right into the heat of a South Florida afternoon, as head coach Don Strock put what he believes is a young, but talented, squad through a two-hour practice on Friday in shorts and helmets at FIU Stadium.

“There’s a lot of teaching going on out here but a lot of them are picking things up pretty good,” Strock said. “They are making plays. Of course there will always be some mistakes, but that’s why we film them. This is all new to a lot of them.”

Strock and his coaches are still looking to find the right fit for so many of the newcomers, but without full gear and hitting, it may still be too early to say where things stand.

“We went over the base offense and the base defense and we looked at guys at different positions to see where they might fit,” the coach said. “But it’s so hard to tell with just helmets on. We’re not playing flag football out here. We’re going to be playing real football very shortly.

“There absolutely is some talent here and they’ve got a lot of great character, which is what we’re looking for. Things will come around.”

What concerned Strock most on this bright, hot and humid day was player conditioning and proper hydration. There were several cramping cases reported and the coach stressed to the players the difference between being in shape, and being in football shape.

“If they aren’t hydrating properly and getting cramps after running three gassers, on the second day of practice, without pads—that’s some we need to discuss,” Strock said.

There were no new injuries to report Friday but several players remain sidelined after off-season surgeries. Sophomore linebacker Quentin Newman (Cocoa) is expected to miss up to three more weeks rehabilitating from leg surgery and freshman offensive lineman Javon Hill (right knee) and sophomore defensive back Robert Mitchell (right ankle) could be out as long as two weeks post-operatively.

The Golden Panthers return to the practice field Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. wearing shoulder pads for the first time this fall. The practice is open to the public. The team works out Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. and on Monday, practices in full gear for the first time at 9:00 a.m.