FIU Football: Former First Round Pick Kenechi Udeze Ready For Opportunity As Panthers' LB Coach

Kevin Barral | Apr 2, 2024

FIU Athletics

With the departure of cornerbacks coach DeMarcus Van Dyke, Anthony Gaitor was promoted to cornerbacks coach, which left FIU's outside linebackers coach spot open. That’s where Kenechi Udeze, also known as “Coach KU” came into play.

“I was really thankful to be selected to be a part of this staff,” said Udeze. “One thing that I've identified early is that this is a really great staff. There are some young men that really want to grow and become the very best version of themselves. I'm just happy to be a part of it and help them in the right direction.”

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Before his coaching career, Udeze played collegiately for Pete Carroll at USC, where he earned First Team All-American honors and produced enough to be a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Following his four-year pro career in Minnesota, Udeze entered the coaching world. He has since spent time on staff with three NFL teams and six college teams.

Udeze's experience is through the roof, but how can he apply his experience to the group of players that he is working with at FIU?

“I always just look at that as credibility,” said Udeze. “Honestly, in the last 16 years of coaching, I've grown as a coach. You can't just rely on what you can do or what you did because I can do stuff that some of these guys couldn't do. When you start teaching them the principles and the basics of playing football, your feet being an extension of your power, using your God-given length, shocking blocks… just the basics of football. Then guess what? They look like a better version of themselves.”

Early on, the word used throughout all of spring camp has been “grit.” That is how Udeze described his outside linebacker group thus far. “Guys showing up, pushing through stuff when they don't want to,” said Udeze. “Do stuff with everybody. When you start getting into that swing of football, guys make choices and it's really cool to have young men that don't question what you're doing.”

When it comes to goals in 2024, Udeze looks to figure those out with his players. He'll be looking for his players to come together in the new season to reach the group's common aspiration. Their new season will begin on August 31 at Indiana.