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Is this the year that ‘The Price is Right’ for the FIU Panthers football team?

G’vonte Price was born on June 2, 1999, and his twin brother D’vonte … waited … waited … and waited.

Sixty minutes later, D’vonte Price finally made his world debut, and his FIU Panthers football career has been kind of like that, too — a study in patience.

A 6-2½, 218-pound running back, Price started one game as a true freshman, when he was fourth on the team in carries; three as a sophomore (third in carries); and two last year as a junior (third in carries).

At various points, Price has played behind FIU’s Alex Gardner, Napoleon Maxwell, Shawndarrius Phillips and Anthony Jones.

“D’vonte is a mellow person,” said his mother, Angie Price. “But he hated not being able to play more.

“He wanted to come home, go to a community college and get a job. But I refused. I said, ‘No way.’ I said, ‘You can cry, but you’re not leaving FIU.’

“He said, ‘Mom, I know I’m better than some of them.’ ”

This year, Price could be right.

All those runners are gone from FIU’s campus, and Price is now the senior and the most experienced of seven Panthers running backs.

Price leads all active FIU running backs with 960 career yards, and his 6.2 yards per carry is on pace to be a school record.

“I’m pretty sure,” Price said when asked if he will the starting job this year. “But I can’t relax for a second. The other dudes in our [running back] room are dogs, too.”

Price, who was 5-10 and 175 pounds when he graduated high school, has since grown 4½ inches and gained 43 pounds.

Perhaps his secret is his hair, which he has never cut. Price has a tattoo on his right forearm of Samson killing a lion with his hands. Samson is a Biblical figure known for super-human strength due to his long hair.

“Samson’s power was in his hair, and that speaks to me,” Price said. “I don’t plan on cutting my hair until it starts falling out.”

That is not likely to happen anytime soon for Price, who is majoring in public administration and is on course to graduate this spring. After he’s done playing, Price — who enjoys cooking — would like to own a restaurant.

On the field, Price has been durable, playing 35 collegiate games and missing just two, due to an ankle injury as a freshman. His last major injury came as a senior in high school, when he missed five games due to a broken collarbone.

“I want to show I can carry the load,” Price said of his senior goal. “I want to show I can take 20 to 25 carries per game.”

TWIN TERRORS

Price, the youngest of five children, is from Punta Gorda, located on Florida’s southwest coast, 24 miles north of Fort Meyers.

He started playing running back and wide receiver at age 4, suiting up for the Charlotte Warriors. Often, Price would score on a long touchdown, and G’vonte would be either right behind D’vonte or running alongside him.

One time, G’vonte had the ball, when he was blindsided by a tackler.

On the sideline, D’vonte and G’vonte plotted their revenge.

At their next opportunity on the field, the twins ganged up on that same boy, tackling him simultaneously from two different angles.

“I heard someone from the sideline yell, ‘You don’t mess with the twins!’ ” Angie Price said.

The twins — who shared a large duffle bag that had the words “Double Trouble” on it — went on to play for near-by Charlotte High.

At first, Bobby Babich — who was FIU’s defensive coordinator at the time and is now a safeties coach for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills — was interested in G’vonte, an undersized tight end/defensive end.

But when Babich dug deeper and saw D’vonte, he invited them both to visit FIU’s campus.

Ultimately, only D’vonte signed with FIU.

G’vonte didn’t apply himself academically, his mother said.

“He could’ve gone to FIU if he had the grades,” said Angie, who was a corporal in the Charlotte sheriff’s department for 15 years before retiring. “G’vonte had a baby daughter, and now he has a job at Dollar General, unloading trucks.”

D’vonte said his freshman year was made tougher because he wasn’t with his twin brother.

“He’s my favorite person in the world,” D’vonte said. “We talk every day. I will do anything to protect his daughter [3-month-old Gianna].

“When [G’vonte] didn’t make it [to FIU], I saw how it made him feel. He wanted to be here, and he couldn’t. “People have different paths in life. I love football, and I don’t let too many things distract me.”

Price gave an example of that on Nov. 25, 2016, when Charlotte High trailed Fort Myers 14-0 at halftime of a Class 6A regional final. Price scored two touchdowns in the second half and two more in the extra sessions to lead Charlotte to a 28-24 double-overtime win.

“D’vonte was a wrecking machine,” said Wade Taylor, who was Charlotte’s defensive line coach at the time but now runs the program. “It was one of the greatest games I’ve ever been in — no empty seats at Fort Myers. This was a ‘bite-your-fingernails’ game.

“On the last play, we gave the ball to D’vonte on a direct snap, and it was over.”

Price finished with 205 yards from scrimmage, including 138 on pass receptions.

“That game still holds some weight,” Price said. “My ankle was hurting really bad. But my older brother [Ty Price] talked to me at halftime and said, ‘Don’t let this be your last high school game.’ ”

It wasn’t. Charlotte finished 12-1 that season, and Price’s prep finale happened the next week in a 39-0 loss to Carol City in the state semifinals.

“Carol City had too many athletes,” Taylor said. “When all 11 of their defenders run 4.6 or faster, you’ve got problems.”

Ironically, coach Aubrey Hill, who led Carol City to the 6A state title that year, went on to join forces with Price. Hill was FIU’s wide receivers coach until he died of cancer last month.

“I loved Coach Hill — he was a great dude,” Price said. “He wasn’t my personal coach, but he had a lot of faith in me. He would see me and say, ‘The Price is right.’

“I’ll always keep Coach Hill in my heart.”

MINOR OBSTACLES

At Charlotte, Price was also a track star, especially as a senior, when he finished fifth at state in the 110-meter hurdles.

“He was neck and neck with the guy who won it,” said Taylor, who was Charlotte’s track coach at the time. “That senior year, he didn’t lose a single race until the final.

“It was nothing for him to get over those hurdles. One day in practice, I raised the hurdle from the high school height [39 inches] to the collegiate height [42]. He stepped right over it, no problem.”

Price, who has the words “God 1st” written on his Twitter page, seems ready to soar over his next hurdle — becoming a starting running back in college.

He showed glimpses of his ability as a freshman, averaging an impressive 8.7 yards on just 15 carries.

Price’s sophomore year was his best, rushing for 560 yards, a 6.2 average and five touchdowns.

Last year, however, was difficult for Price, who again had to wait his turn behind seniors Jones and Maxwell. Those two running backs — who were signed as undrafted free agents this year — combined to get 315 carries. Price got just 50 carries, and he converted that into 249 yards (5.0 average). He scored no touchdowns as FIU finished with a 6-7 record, although the Panthers did reach a third consecutive bowl game, shocking Miami along the way.

Price, who has just 30 career catches and no reception touchdowns in his collegiate career, has a lot to prove as to any potential interest from NFL scouts.

He has to show he can be a No. 1 back, catch passes and block. Proving himself on special teams wouldn’t hurt, either.

But before he can do all that, he has to beat out a talented cast of running back challengers.

The list includes Arkansas transfer Maleek Williams, who was Price’s teammate in the same backfield at Charlotte High. Williams rushed for 144 yards (5.3 average) with two touchdowns in two years at Arkansas before bolting for FIU.

The other challengers are sophomores Lexington Joseph, Shaun Peterson and Demarcus Townsend and freshmen Kejon Owens and Eric Wilson.

Taylor is confident in Price.

“D’vonte is the type of guy who pays close attention to his coaches. He doesn’t mess around,” Taylor said. “If anything, we didn’t utilize D’vonte enough in high school.

“He’s one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached.”