MIAMI (Feb. 12, 2015) – Development of student-athletes is something a head coach of any football program puts an important emphasis on. Players set school records, improve for one year to another and then ultimately go to the next level. The same can be said for assistant coaches.
 
The coaching fraternity is a tightly-knit one, and successful coaches are recognized by their peers. Wins and losses on the field are not always the measure of a good coaching staff. What others notice are the progressions of the student-athletes, whether or not they are a "good coach" and what intangibles they bring to the staff.  
 
Since coming to FIU, Head Coach Ron Turner has had eight assistant coach move on to other opportunities in both the college and professional ranks. From NFL clubs like Minnesota, Tampa Bay and Carolina to college programs in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Southeastern Conference and the American Athletic Conference 
 
"Our goal is to bring coaches in that will first-and-foremost be good mentors to our players," Turner said. "We want to have assistant coaches who will teach our student-athletes the 'right way' to do things both in football and in life. Other programs notice what we are doing. They notice that our players are well coached. I always want to surround our student-athletes with the best teachers and coaches that will help mold them into champions on and off the field. "
 
This past month, the FIU football coaching staff has seen some turnaround as a result of the Panthers' successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
 
"You never want to lose staff members," Turner added. "However, it's a testament to what we are doing here at FIU. The program we are trying to build is a reflection of the staff that we have here as well as those coaches who have since moved on to other opportunities."
 
In early January former defensive coordinator Josh Conklin and linebackers coach Rob Harley were hired by the Pittsburgh Panthers. During the 2014 season, FIU finished ranked No. 35 in the nation in total defense. Holding teams to 20-or-fewer point six times this past season (zero in 2013), the Panthers were No. 5 in the nation in turnovers forced (33), including 19 fumble recoveries.
 
FIU's red zone defense was one of the best in the nation as opponents had a 69.2 percent success rate (No. 4 in the nation). On third downs, FIU held its opponents 35.9 percent of the time, good for No. 28 nationally.
 
The Panthers also saw defensive line coach Randy Melvin move to the University of Miami. The team's sack total nearly doubled, going from 15 in 2013 to 31 this past season. The Panthers ranked No. 32 nationally in sacks-per-game with 2.58. The pressure that FIU put on the opposing quarterbacks gave the Panthers a pass efficiency defense ranking of 46 nationally (122.50), improving 70 spots from the previous year.
 
Wide receivers and quarterbacks coach Cameron Turner joined the Carolina Panthers' staff. This past season, FIU saw an increase in passing yards and touchdowns from a year ago. The Panthers threw for 2,016 yards and 15 touchdowns opposed to 1,713 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013. Quarterback Alex McGough was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team after throwing for 1,680 yards (No. 10 all-time at FIU in a single season) and 14 touchdowns (No. 3 all-time at FIU in a single season).
 
Lastly, running backs coach Kerry Dixon II was hired by the University of Florida after working with a young running back corps that rushed for 1,502 yards (No. 4 all-time at FIU). Led by newcomers Anthon Samuel, Alex Gardner and Napoleon Maxwell, FIU found the endzone 11 times; an improvement from the 2013 season (5). Gardner earned-USA All-Freshman honors, becoming the first true freshman at FIU to record multiple 100-yard games in a season (3). His 582 yards are tied for the eighth-most in a single season and is a freshman record at FIU.
 
Melvin, Turner and Dixon also helped FIU sign a stellar 2015 signing class. Comprised of 22 student-athletes, the 2015 class had a total of 21 signees from the Sunshine State, including nine from Miami-Dade County and eight all-state selections.
 
Coach Turner now looks forward, focusing on brining in the teachers, coaches and mentors to the FIU staff.
 
Matt House was hired in late January after a three-year stint at Pittsburgh. House spent two years as the Panthers defensive coordinator (2013 & 2014) and one year as Pitt's secondary coach (2012). During his three years at Pittsburgh, the Panthers' defense ranked in the top third nationally, ranking No. 33 in 2014 (359.8 yards-per-game), No. 34 in 2013 (367.5 yards-per-game) and No. 20 (194.2 yards-per-game).
 
"He's a very sound, very thorough and very impressive coach," Turner said. "He will be a great fit for our staff. We are excited about our defense and believe that Coach House will help take them to the next level."
 
In early February, Tem Lukabu was hired as the Panthers' linebackers coach. Lukabu spent one season (2014) at Colgate where he coached the outside linebackers. Before joining the staff at Colgate, Lukabu was a defensive assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since Feb. 2012, working with the defensive line coach in 2012 and the linebackers coach in 2013, while assisting with practice and game day coaching responsibilities.
 
"He's a great communicator," Turner said. "I was with him in Tampa and had a chance to watch him in action. He has a very good work ethic and is a man high character and integrity."
 
The focus for Coach Turner now is to replace the missing pieces needed to complete his staff. A year ago, he had the task of filling four spots and did so with the hiring of Melvin, Harley, Dixon and Shannon Moore. It can be certain that his staff will be complete and will bring the same level of success as FIU heads into spring practice.
 
#####
 
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/.