Yahoo Movies FIU football coaching staff nearly complete with hiring of defensive coordinator to come
The remodeling of FIU’s football house is nearly done when it comes to the coaching staff.
Three of the four most-important pillars are up with the hiring of Mike MacIntyre as head coach, David Yost as the quarterback coach/offensive coordinator and Ricky Brumfield as special-teams coordinator.
MacIntyre still hasn’t found his defensive coordinator, although George Frazier (defensive line) and Nate Taye (defensive backs) are on board. That means that the d-coordinator, when hired, will most likely coach the linebackers.
The rest of the offensive staff is in place with Eric Hickson (running backs), Jay MacIntyre (wide receivers), Joshua Eargle (tight ends) and Greg Austin (o-line).
Hickson is the most recent hire as he comes over from the University of Miami, where he coached running backs on the Manny Diaz staff. Prior to that, he coached RBs at Kansas State and Akron.
As a player, Hickson left Kansas State in 1998 as the school’s all-time leading rusher (2,537 yards).
However, depending on who FIU hires as defensive coordinator, the most compelling character among MacIntyre’s staff is Yost. whose offense will be front and center for FIU’s fans to judge.
So, what is his offensive philosophy?
“I’m a speed and space guy,” Yost told the Miami Herald. “I want to play fast with fast guys. We will have a spread offense, and we will play with tempo.”
Yost mentioned the offenses of coaches Mike Leach and Chip Kelly as two of his biggest influences.
In addition, Yost made it clear he runs a system that is simple enough to get his best players on the field.
“If you have a guy who is not on the field because he can’t pick up the system then there’s a problem with the offense,” Yost said. “It’s not a problem with the kid.
“We don’t have too much stuff (plays). We don’t want our players thinking. The less you have to think, the faster you can play.”
Yost said he is an aggressive play-caller, and his goal is to dictate to the defense as much as possible.
“I tell our guys: ‘We’re going to blitz the defense. They’re not going to blitz us,’” Yost said.
“We want to run the ball and take shots downfield. Space is our friend. We will play sideline to sideline and goal-line to goal-line.”
Besides football, Yost also talked to the Herald about his long, blond hair, which has become his trademark look.
Yost said his lengthy locks help him stand out and make an impression in recruiting.
“All the other coaches look alike to the players,” Yost said. “Before I started dating my wife (Carrie), I had a perm. I got it so I didn’t have to do much with my hair. I thought it looked pretty good.
“Looking back, it didn’t look good. My wife has told me I’m never allowed to get a perm again.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ FIU’s 2022 baseball schedule is out, and the Panthers will play 17 of their first 19 games at home, including visits from Miami, Michigan, Connecticut and South Florida.
