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FIU finalizing deal to hire Duke assistant Willie Simmons as next head coach

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•12/07/24•

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Willie Simmons
Alicia Devine | Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY NETWORK

It appears as though FIU has its new head football coach. The Panthers are finalizing a deal with Duke running backs coach Willie Simmons, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. Ross Dellenger was first to report the news.

Willie Simmons helped Duke to a 9-3 record this season as the Blue Devils excelled in Year 1 under Manny Diaz.

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Willie Simmons has been a successful head coach before. He previously led programs at Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M. The Rattlers had a 45-13 overall record under Simmons, including a 34-5 mark in SWAC play.

Simmons was named the AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2023. He also was selected as the 2023 SWAC Coach of the Year, prior to accepting the running backs job at Duke.

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Willie Simmons was familiar with Manny Diaz when he chose to join him in Durham as the two were previously assistants together at Middle Tennessee State from 2007-09.

FIU was in the market for a new head coach after going 4-8 this past season. FIU fired Mike MacIntyre after the year and is now replacing him with Simmons.

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FIU finished sixth in Conference USA in 2024. During MacIntyre’s tenure at FIU, the Golden Panthers went 4-8 for three straight seasons. His initial contract he signed with the school paid him a base salary of $750,000 annually.

He also recently made some comments in a press conference that were not well received by the FIU fan base on November 19th. MacIntyre was asked whether the 2025 season was a “make or break year” for him and the Golden Panthers. He responded by saying, “this program hasn’t had a good history at all since the beginning of it.”

He received plenty of backlash for those comments and MacIntyre was ultimately forced to apologize. FIU defensive coordinator Jovan Dewitt was named the interim coach for the time being.

MacIntyre took over the program in 2021, after Butch Davis led the Golden Panthers to a 1-16 overall record in his final two seasons there. Before joining FIU, MacIntyre spent time as the defensive coordinator for the Memphis Tigers (2020-2021) and Ole Miss (2019).