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Florida International University (FIU) is entering a new era as they've announced Willie Simmons as the next head coach of the football program. The news of Simmons securing a four-year contract to lead the Panthers was broken by ESPN's Pete Thamel on Saturday morning and the athletics department officially confirmed the hire hours later.
In a statement released by the institution, Simmons spoke about his excitement to lead the Panthers.
“Words cannot express how excited I am to lead FIU football into the future,” Simmons said. “I look forward to leading this program to newer heights as we strive to match our athletic prowess with the academic greatness of this world-class institution. There's no better place to coach and play football than sunny South Florida, and we look forward to bringing the best and the brightest to the 305! The Future is NOW! PAWS UP!!!”
Panthers Athletic Director Scott Carr also expressed excitement at Simmons joining the program.
“I'm thrilled to welcome Willie, his wife, Shaia, and the entire Simmons family into our FIU family,” said Carr. “Willie is a proven winner. In his eight seasons as a head coach, he has never had a losing season, and he won nine or more games in each of those last four years. Willie has strong recruiting ties to South Florida and connections throughout the entire state. We have the utmost confidence in him building a competitive program that will compete for championships. It's truly an exciting day for FIU and I urge Panther Nation to support and invest in our football program. Paws Up!”
Earlier in the week Simmons was mentioned as a heavy favorite for the position, as FIU alumni and supporters pushed for him due to his immense success at Florida A&M. Simmons is a tenured coach, boasting two decades of success in college football.
He joined Florida A&M in 2018, guiding the Rattlers to winning seasons each year he's been at the helm of the program. He is 45-13 in his tenure at FAMU and led the Rattlers during a transition from the Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Florida A&M has only lost two games since the move to the SWAC, both to the Deion Sanders-led Jackson State Tigers in 2021 (7-5) and 2022 (59-3).
Before Florida A&M, he coached at Prairie View A&M and led them to three consecutive winning seasons. He also coached the Panthers to become one of the most explosive offenses in the SWAC at 44.9 points per game in his first season. In January, Simmons was hired as Duke University's running backs coach under Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils went 9-3 on the season.
Simmons will now head back to Florida in the hopes of making FIU a contender once again in Conference USA.
