FIU is hiring Willie Simmons as its next football coach, people involved in decision confirmed to The Athletic on Saturday.
Simmons, currently the running backs coach at Duke, will replace Mike MacIntyre, who was fired last weekend following three consecutive 4-8 seasons. Simmons, a 44-year-old Tallahassee, Fla., native, will be the seventh head coach in program history.
Tim Harris Jr., most recently the offensive coordinator at UCF, was a finalist for the job.
Before spending the 2024 season at Duke, Simmons went 45-13 as the head coach at Florida A&M. He led the Rattlers to a SWAC championship and Celebration Bowl berth in 2023, his final season with the program. He played quarterback at Clemson for Tommy Bowden (2000-02) and at The Citadel (2003).
FIU’s program was founded in 2002, first played FBS games three years later and has had only four winning seasons in its existence (the last coming in 2018 under Butch Davis).
Mario Cristobal is the winningest coach in program history with a 27-47 record.
MacIntyre had three years left on a contract that paid him $750,000 annually and is owed approximately $1.1 million in a buyout.
In August, the school signed a deal to rename its football stadium after recording artist Pitbull, bringing in $1.2 million annually over five years. The deal is also expected to assist in name, image and likeness compensation for athletes.
It’s needed.
More than a dozen players have announced plans to enter the transfer portal. Among them are quarterback Keyone Jenkins, standout receiver Eric Rivers, four starters on the offensive line, starting linebacker Travion Barnes and starting safety Hezekiah Masses.
The highest point in the program’s history was beating crosstown rival Miami in November 2019. That was the last season FIU played in a bowl game. The Panthers lost 18 of their next 19 games and Davis, who owns the program’s best winning percentage (.429), was fired at the end of a 1-11 season.
The school has produced 10 NFL Draft picks all-time but none since 2020. The most famous NFL alumnus is four-time Pro Bowl receiver and 2010 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year T.Y. Hilton.
(Photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images)
