FIU football had five players selected to the 2025 Conference USA (CUSA) Preseason Watch List, as announced by the league office.

FIU's Keyone Jenkins, Brian Blades II, Jaheim Buchanon, Kenton Simmons and C'Quan Jnopierre have been named to the 2025 CUSA Preseason Watch List. Jenkins and Blades were the Panthers' two nominees as skill players, Buchanon and Simmons earned recognition as lineman while Jnopierre was tabbed FIU's specialist honoree. 

Jenkins, a Second Team All-CUSA Preseason honoree from both Phil Steele and Athlon Sports, returns for his third season as the starting quarterback for the Panthers. The junior signal-caller passed for 2,557 yards last season and threw 22 touchdowns, second in CUSA, with just eight interceptions. He has amassed 33 passing touchdowns and 41 total touchdowns in his two years in 'The 305'. 'Lyghtz Out' ranked first in CUSA and 19th-nationally in passing efficiency and sits within the top-six in FIU's career charts in nearly every major quarterback-related category. 

Blades II continues to provide lockdown coverage in the FIU secondary, entering his senior season. He was recognized by Athlon Sports as a First Team All-CUSA honoree and earned Second Team honors on Phil Steele's Preseason All-CUSA Team. Blades, a local product from American Heritage in Fort Lauderdale, started all 12 games last season and had a pick-six against Central Michigan in FIU's home opener of 2024. He also was often rated as one of the top corners in coverage by Pro Football Focus (PFF) throughout last season. 

Buchanon, a 2024 CUSA All-Freshman Team honoree, has been a mainstay on the Panther offensive line, playing significant time at every position along the line last season. His versatility and experience will be key as the top returning player on this unit. He earned a selection to the All-CUSA Preseason First Team from Athlon Sports and was tabbed Third Team Preseason All-CUSA by Phil Steele. 

Simmons is FIU's lone newcomer on the watch list, arriving in Miami after two seasons at Butler Community College in Kansas. The pass-rushing specialist totaled 6.0 sacks and recorded 33 total tackles in what is widely-known as the top junior college conference in the country. With Simmons anchoring the defensive line, Butler notched wins over top-ranked Hutchinson, No. 5 Garden City and No. 15 Dodge City during his sophomore season. 

Jnopierre, a kick returner, burst onto the scene in 2024, earning Second Team All-CUSA honors. Throughout the season, he served as the catalyst for the Panther special teams unit, setting up FIU up with advantageous field position many times. He averaged 28.3 yards per return, the third-most in the nation, with a long of 55 yards last season. Jnopierre earned 2025 Preseason First Team status from both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele.

Conference USA also released its Bowl Confidence Index (BCI) on Friday.The Bowl Confidence Index introduces a new approach to preseason football coverage. Rather than ranking teams from one through twelve, voters selected the teams they believe will qualify for a bowl game.

Below are the results from the BCI: