MIAMI (April 2, 2020) - This week we preview FIU's linebackers as we look ahead to the upcoming season. 

POSITION BREAKDOWN
Position: Linebackers
Position Coach: Jeff Copp
Key Returner: Jamal Gates

PLAYER TO WATCH
Jamal Gates had a breakout season in 2019, as the Panther linebacker ranked second on the team with 85 tackles. The Palm Beach Gardens native played and started in all 13 games for the Panthers and logged six games with at least seven-or-more tackles, with two of those being double-digit games. Gates had a pair of breakout games in 2019 with a career-high 12 tackles against Louisiana Tech and a timely interception against Miami to lead the Panthers to a 30-24 victory over the Hurricanes. 

QUOTES FROM GATES
Gates on What Makes LBs Special: "We are all brothers on and off the field, we can flip the switch and become serious on the field and hilarious off the field. The bond that we all have with one another will take us a long way this season."

Gates on Goals for 2020: "The main goal for 2020 is to go 1-0 every week and improve as a unit each game."

QUOTES FROM COACH COPP
Copp on Jamal Gates: "We're very excited to have Jamal back obviously, he's played a ton of snaps and he's been very productive for us. This year will be a great opportunity for him to step out of Sage Lewis' shadow and become his own guy and continue to improve."

Copp on Other Returnees: "We relied on a platoon of guys last season, like Daniel Jackson, Rocky Jacques-Louis and Tevin Jones, and they did some really nice things for us last season and we're excited to see what they can do in 2020. We also expect to see a lot more from guys like Dimitry Prophete and Donovan Georges."

Copp on Newcomers: "Tyson Maeva transferred last year from Boise State and he's a guy that's played a lot of football at a high level. We're very excited to have him eligible this upcoming season and have him compete for reps right away. We'll also see Nasir Carter, who redshirted for us last season and we think he'll have some significant snaps. We're very excited for his future as a Panther."

Copp on Goals for 2020: "This will be the second year in the new system, so we want to improve our general knowledge of it and continue to get better. Depth was a big issue for us last season as we only played 14-15 guys some games on defense. We have to get to where we can play 20-25 guys in a game. Other things we are working on is continuing to get better at stopping the run and being more aggressive with our play-calling to get more pressure on the QB." 

SOCIAL MEDIA
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