FIU football coach Butch Davis, whose team is preparing for Friday’s Bahamas Bowl against Toledo, has noticed a routine with freshman defensive end Jason Mercier.
“I don’t think I’ve ever walked off a practice field where Jason didn’t say, ‘Coach, how did I do today? What can I work on?’” Davis said. “He is committed to trying to become a great player.”
So far, that commitment is working as Mercier recently made Conference USA’s All-Freshmen team.
Mercier, a 6-3, 260-pounder from Atlantic High, has played all 12 games so far this season, recording 29 tackles. That ranks him second among FIU defensive ends along with his fellow ex-West Palm Beach standout, Noah Curtis of Delray Beach American Heritage.