The Duke football program lost one of its most decorated assistant coaches on Saturday morning when the FIU Panthers reportedly hired Willie Simmons as their next head coach.
According to a report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Simmons agreed to a four-year contract with the program.
Simmons spent the past season as the Blue Devils’ running backs coach, and he helped veteran transfer Star Thomas and sophomore Peyton Jones both average more than four yards per carry. With presumed starter Jaquez Moore out with an injury for most of the season, that duo combined for 1,170 yards and 10 scores on the ground, and Thomas rattled off three straight 100-yard games in Weeks 3-5.
Before Simmons joined Manny Diaz’s staff this offseason, he spent nearly a decade as a head coach at Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M. He compiled a 66-24 record with both programs, including a stunning 12-1 season with the Rattlers in 2023.
FIU finished with a 4-8 record in 2024, the program’s third straight season with that exact record, and the Panthers have a 13-40 mark since 2020.