FIU defense tops scoring rankings on Dewitt's modular scheme — SkimNews
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- FIU's defense ranks ninth nationally in scoring defense, 12th in passing yards allowed per game, and 24th in total yards per game, with every 2026 opponent except Jacksonville State held to 20 points or fewer.
- Coordinator Jovan Dewitt labels the unit a "no-name, faceless defense" and runs a modular system anchored on a four-down-lineman base, teaching each position about three techniques that combine into roughly 25–27 different calls.
- Deejay Holmes, a Pahokee High product who originally signed with Ole Miss, transferred back to FIU ahead of the 2026 season and now leads the team in sacks, saying he's in his "killer season" while carrying a Chucky doll onto the field on game days.
- Head coach Willie Simmons retained Dewitt from the previous staff, gave him a hands-off CEO-style mandate, and in his first season led FIU to a 7-5 record — the program's sixth bowl-eligible finish in 23 seasons.
- Dewitt battled throat cancer in 2019 while at Nebraska, losing 100 pounds, and says that experience now shapes a strategic, fundamentals-first approach designed for a roster where top defenders leave annually through the portal.
- Linebacker Josiah Stewart patterns his game after Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly, calling out offensive formations and plays before they run based on film study — a preparation level Dewitt credits for the unit rarely missing assignments.
Why it matters: FIU's blueprint — recruiting bounceback transfers from home metro areas and installing a modular scheme that absorbs annual portal turnover — offers Group of Six programs a survivable roster model against Power-conference budgets. If the unit sustains top-10 scoring defense into the back half of the schedule, Dewitt's approach shifts from theory to a copied template.
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