MIAMI — FIU Football received a slew of weekly honors from Conference USA (CUSA) on Monday as Elisha Baldridge, Zaire Flournoy, JJ Kohl and Felix Visser all earned recognition from the conference office.
For the first time in program history, FIU took home four weekly awards following its convincing 33-20 win over Buffalo on Saturday evening. Baldridge was named Defensive Player of the Week, Flournoy Offensive Lineman of the Week, Kohl Offensive Player of the Week and Visser Freshman of the Week.
Baldridge, a junior from Big Prairie, Ohio, produced a dominant effort from his defensive end position, racking up 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble against the Bulls. He popped the ball loose on both of his sacks, but one of them ended up being recovered by Buffalo. Baldridge also earned the top grade for all EDGE defenders in CUSA per PFF.
Flournoy, a senior from Douglasville, Ga., was an integral part of FIU's offensive line which did not allow a sack to Buffalo in 41 drop back attempts. Behind the Panthers' strong offensive line play, FIU's offense racked up 540 yards of total offense, 386 passing and 154 on the ground.
Kohl, a junior from Ankeny, Iowa, set a new career-high with 367 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air, adding a highlight-reel 19-yard TD reception. Kohl's leaping touchdown reception on a pass from Jojo Stone landed him a feature on Sunday's ESPN programming along with several viral posts on social media.
Visser, a freshman from Perth, Australia, punted his way to Freshman of the Week honors, averaging 42.5 yards per kick. He landed two kicks inside the 20-yard line of this three attempts, including a long of 49 yards that pinned Buffalo on its eight yard line.
25th Season Celebration, Presented by Miccosukee Casino and Resort
The 2026 season for the Panthers officially marks FIU's 25th season of football competition, dating back to the Panthers' first-ever season in 2002. Over that time period, FIU has qualified for six bowl games, secured six Shula Bowl victories and produced countless NFL players, including Pro Bowlers T.Y Hilton and Jonnu Smith. The program has also seen many legendary coaches and outstanding players pass through the Panther facilities throughout its history, creating a litany of incredible moments experienced by Panther Nation.
Fans can be expected to be taken on a journey back to the inception of the program all the way up to the present day, recognizing the standard set by the first teams and acknowledging how many past Panthers have helped to build on that legacy. All of this will lead up and continue through the 25th official season in 2026, the second under head coach Willie Simmons, following one of the most historic seasons on record in his first year on the sidelines.
As the campaign begins with a variety of content in the coming weeks, visit our one-stop shop for the 25th Season Celebration. In conjunction with this, fans are encouraged to follow along with the many highly-engaging pieces of content recognizing the past that will be released on FIU Football's social media channels, listed below.
Social Media
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIU.Football on Instagram and @FIUFootball on Twitter and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
