MIAMI — FIU Football's quarterback JJ Kohl, who passed for 367 yards and accounted for four touchdowns, has been named to the Davey O'Brien Award's Great 8 for Week Two, as announced on Monday.
Kohl earned recognition as one of the top eight quarterbacks nationally in Week Two following his impressive performance in FIU's 33-20 win over Buffalo. The Ankeny, Iowa-native set a new career-high with 367 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air, adding a highlight-reel 19-yard TD reception. Kohl's leaping touchdown reception on a pass from Jojo Stone landed him a feature on Sunday's ESPN programming along with several viral posts on social media.
Through two weeks, Kohl sits third nationally in passing yards per game (334 yards/game) after back-to-back 300-yard performances. Kohl also ranks fifth-nationally in total offense (359 yards/game) while the FIU offense is seventh-nationally in passing at 343.5 passing yards per game.
All quarterbacks on the Great 8 list will eligible for the National QB of the Week Award, which will be announced tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 15 at Noon.
The Panthers, led by Kohl, now look forward to a pivotal Shula Bowl matchup against Fla. Atlantic on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Boca Raton.
Davey O'Brien Great 8: Week 2
Bear Bachmeier, BYU
Devon Dampier, Utah
JJ Kohl, Florida International
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Austin Simmons, Missouri
Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
Caden Veltkamp, FAU
Michael Van Buren Jr., South Florida
25th Season Celebration, Presented by Miccosukee Casino and Resort
The 2026 season for the Panthers officially marks FIU's 25th season of football competition, dating back to the Panthers' first-ever season in 2002. Over that time period, FIU has qualified for six bowl games, secured six Shula Bowl victories and produced countless NFL players, including Pro Bowlers T.Y Hilton and Jonnu Smith. The program has also seen many legendary coaches and outstanding players pass through the Panther facilities throughout its history, creating a litany of incredible moments experienced by Panther Nation.
Fans can be expected to be taken on a journey back to the inception of the program all the way up to the present day, recognizing the standard set by the first teams and acknowledging how many past Panthers have helped to build on that legacy. All of this will lead up and continue through the 25th official season in 2026, the second under head coach Willie Simmons, following one of the most historic seasons on record in his first year on the sidelines.
As the campaign begins with a variety of content in the coming weeks, visit our one-stop shop for the 25th Season Celebration. In conjunction with this, fans are encouraged to follow along with the many highly-engaging pieces of content recognizing the past that will be released on FIU Football's social media channels, listed below.
Social Media
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIU.Football on Instagram and @FIUFootball on Twitter and Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
