It looks like South Carolina will have to look elsewhere besides Willie Simmons to find its next running backs coach.
Florida A&M students, alumni and fans can breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to Simmons as he says he’s staying put in Tallahassee.
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Reports from the Rattler Nation blog surfaced on Saturday night that Simmons had been offered a position as an assistant on Shane Beamer’s staff. Simmons was non-commital when HBCU Gameday reached out to him Saturday night, but has re-confirmed his commitment to the program.
“I am fully committed to the FAMU Football program,” Simmons said in a statement via FAMU. ” I came to the Highest of Seven Hills to produce the excellence that our alumni and fans expect on the field, in the classroom and in the community. We have unfinished business here. Rattler Nation, I am your head football coach. Now let’s refocus on the work at hand and prepare to STRIKE fear in the SWAC and beyond!”
Willie Simmons has had success in his short stint at FAMU. He led the program to a 9-2 finish in 2019, the best record in the MEAC. FAMU was not named MEAC champion due to postseason penalties from a previous administration, however. He served as head coach at Prairie View for three seasons prior to coming to Tallahassee, which was preceded by a stint as an assistant at Alcorn State.
“I am excited that Coach Simmons will be our Head Football coach as we head into the SWAC. We are laser focused on providing him with the resources he needs to build a successful program at the #1 HBCU in the country.” As the Athletic Director, we are committed to taking the athletic department to places we’ve never been and under Coach Simmons’ leadership we will continue to elevate our program to a sustained level of championship performance” VP/Director of Athletics Kortne Gosha said.