Long Island native Bernadin Fleurima Jr. found the perfect fit at SIU

CARBONDALE, Ill. — During his recruitment last December, senior transfer Bernadin Fleurima Jr. knew he’d found the perfect fit at Southern Illinois, after a conversation with head coach Nick Hill and defensive coordinator Lee Pronschinske.

“They said they were looking for high-character seniors to come help the team, and looking for a butt-kicker on the defensive line,” Fleurima Jr. recalled.

High-character? Fleurima Jr. was a great student and had one season at a military academy to his credit. Butt-kicker? The 6-foot, 292-pound defensive tackle had big success at Robert Morris and loved the way Coach Pronschinske’s scheme utilized interior defenders.

To top it off, he was reunited with D-line coach Darius Davis, who left Robert Morris to join Southern’s staff in January. It has all lined up just right for both Fluerima Jr. and the Salukis, who are off to a 3-1 start and have one of the top defenses in the FCS.

StrongDawgs Conversation with Bernadin Fleurima Jr.

SD: Were you born and raised in Long Island?

BF: Yes, my dad was a pastor. He grew up in the UK, and then he moved to Haiti where he met my mom. I was born in New York, so I'm a first-generation American.

SD: When did you realize you wanted to play college football?

BF: I didn't know what football was until the fifth grade. I started playing backyard football and watching the NFL, and it became my dream to play in college. I was undersized, about 5’-9”, 5'10” and New York is not a highly recruited football area, so it was tough getting some looks.

SD: How did you wind up at Fork Union Military Academy out of high school?

BF: I had some walk-on offers from a couple of FCS programs, some DIIs, but nothing that I liked. I had great grades and an 1120 on the SAT, so I started looking for a post-graduate school, and my high school coach helped me find Fork Union.

SD: How was your experience at a military academy?

BF: It was a three-month program, 100 days. Their three rules are no phone, no cursing, no girls. The first five days we didn't touch a football, we just marched and worked out. Their motto is, "if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” To this day I make my bed before I leave in the morning.

SD: Did you know it was going to be so strict, and how hard was that adjustment?

BF: Yes, I had an idea it was going to be hard, but it was a shock when I arrived on the first day. They have envelopes with your names on it and they say, “put your phone in here.” I thought I’d get it in a week or so. I didn't get it back for three months. After you've been using your phone for forever, that feels like an eternity.

You got infractions for things like having too much hair on your face. If your hair was too long, they cut it, but they taught you structure and they taught you accountability. Instead of cursing, they taught you how to speak like a man, how to eat the proper way, how to speak to media. They just taught you life skills.

Honestly, I feel like it was a blessing. I became really close with those guys and some of them went on to play pro — Hollin Pierce (Philadelphia Eagles) and Antwane Wells (New York Giants).

SD: Talk about your development under D-line coach Darius Davis at Robert Morris.

BF: I didn't really play my first snaps until September, 2022. That's when Coach Davis arrived as my D-line coach. I did okay my first two years, but then my junior and senior years were a lot better. I really came into my own as a run-stopper, helping us go 7-5 last year.

D-Line coach Darius Davis preaches a DAWGS mentality

SD: So you actually arrived at SIU before Coach Davis?

BF: Yes. Coach Hill and Coach Pron (Lee Pronschinske) said they were looking for some high character seniors to come help the team, looking for a butt-kicker on the defensive line. I actually watched SIU's defense on film in 2023 when we were scouting Youngstown State’s offense. I was like, man, they have a great defense. Part of the reason I committed to SIU was because of the defensive similarity with Robert Morris. I loved playing in that defense, and I felt like I could build on what I did last year at Robert Morris.

SD: What’s it like to play for Coach Davis, who is so passionate about coaching football and really cares about his guys?

BF: Coach Davis has given me a lot of life tips beyond football. He’s obviously taught me a lot about football, but also how to be a man, how to carry myself, life after football. He taught me to hold myself to a standard every day. I'm very, very grateful for him being here and being my coach because I don't know where I’d be without his guidance. We’re men, we're not going to be happy with each other all the time, but he's helped me in tremendous ways and shown me how to really be a leader. He’s been a father-figure in my life.

SD: Ironically, he brought with him his DAWGS philosophy. I imagine you can recite it word-for-word?

BF: We want to be great men. We want to be Disciplined and detailed. We want to have Accountability. We want to show our Will and want-to, we want to show Growth, and then we want to be Selfless, you know, lean on your brothers.

SD: The D-Line seems like a really close-knit group.

BF: Absolutely. Coach Davis has Dawg Fridays where we all meet up and do something together. We’ve been over to his house to watch football games and eat. With Halloween coming up, we’re going to find a haunted trail. His wife does this great thing for away games. She'll give us a survey and we can fill out what snacks we’d like to take with us. Coach Davis is a person who I'll always look up to for the rest of my life and I can't thank him enough for what he's done.

SD: How do you like the southern Illinois area so far?

BF: I do enjoy the quiet. I enjoy the nature, being able to be with my teammates, go fishing, do things outdoors, go on hikes and stuff.

Fleurima Jr. learned to tread water at Lake of Egypt retreat.

SD: At the team retreat at Lake of Egypt, right before camp started, did your teammates teach you to swim?

BF: Well, I knew how to swim, but I was learning how to tread water. I can swim pretty fast, but if I stop moving in water, I'm going start sinking, so they were trying to teach me how to tread water. Shug (Walker) and Donnie (Wingate) were teasing me. They called me a sea turtle.

I think that retreat that Coach Hill did was great, especially in the midst of what we were doing right before camp. Honestly, I'm very grateful to Coach Hill for this opportunity at SIU. I wish I could thank him every day, but I know he would probably get annoyed with me. It’s a blessing to be here on this journey with him and my fellow Salukis and working toward that ultimate goal that we have of winning a national championship.

SD: Do you have any family visiting for Family Weekend?

BF: My mom’s actually coming to the Blackout Cancer game and Homecoming, so that'll be fun to see her and introduce her to Carbondale, because she didn't come out here with me on my visit. My mom is my rock.

SD: What are your future plans?

BF: I’d like to continue to play football in any league where I can get an opportunity. If that doesn't work out, I’ll return to New York and pursue a career in the medical fields, whether it's occupational therapy or nursing.