It was a picture-perfect day at Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium. A good crowd, the FAMU Cheerleaders, the Marching “100”, 70-degree weather, and football. New FAMU head coach James Colzie III took the Rattlers through their first Spring game with him at the helm.
With several new parts, the FAMU coaching staff was complete for the first time since the departure of former coach Willie Simmons. In today’s football landscape, with the advent of the transfer portal, there was a question of how the Rattlers would look on the field. The team passed the eye test.
“We continue to do what we’ve done throughout spring. We had an opportunity to work on some situations. At the same time, I wanted to make sure we didn’t get injured,” Colzie said. “(We) did a great job of protecting our offensive line, did a really, really good job of protecting our defensive line, but we also got a chance to look at our quarterbacks, our receivers, and our running backs in space.”
“Offensively, if we’re lining up and snapping the ball on time, we can be a really, really, good offense now. We’ve got a lot of weapons, and then obviously the guys that we’re adding to our offense makes us equally dangerous. Defensively, we have some guys obviously that are in the portal right now. We’re doing some recruiting defensively to make sure that if we do lose guys in the portal we replace them with quality,” Colzie said.
The biggest personnel question for FAMU was who would replace Black College Co-Player of the Year Jeremy Moussa at quarterback. Moussa earned virtually every award imaginable for a quarterback and led the Rattler offense with precision. He was also the vocal leader of the team. Replacing him is a key for the Rattlers and one of the big questions around a defense of the national title for the Rattlers.
Defensively, with the departure of defensive coordinator Ryan Smith, who led the defense to its highest ranking in years, was an area of concentration as well for the Rattlers. New defensive coordinator Milton Patterson appeared to have a grip on the defense as several turnovers were caused by a swarming defense.
Doc Gamble leads the Florida A&M special teams. It will be the most talented group in all of HBCU football. With returning All-American punter Trey Wilhoit, kickoff specialist Michael Smith, and kicker Cameron Gillis, the team returns an experienced and talented bunch. Adding redshirt junior Max Larson to the squad, who transferred from Florida State will make for some lively competition as he possesses a booming leg and extended range on field goals.
The defense would shine in the spring game, which is often the case, especially when there is a transition at quarterback. Four quarterbacks took snaps in the spring game. Incumbent quarterback Junior Maratovic would lead the first unit on their first series, while FAU transfer Daniel Richardson would mirror Muratovic’s reps.
Former North Carolina A&T transfer quarterback Alston Hooker got to show off his dual-threat abilities. Try Fisher guided the Rattler offense on some sustained drives. One topic of discussion was Ja’Cory Jourdan’s transition from quarterback to wide receiver. Jourdan was impressive, possibly showing the most promise of the position.
The weather prohibited the Rattlers from experiencing their full 15-practice allotment, but Colzie was satisfied that they were able to evaluate where the team is on both sides of the ball. “Offensively, we’re extremely happy with what coach Henry is doing. Defensively, we’ve got to sure up some things personnel-wise to make sure we are where we need to be once we start the season,” concluded head coach James Colzie III.
FAMU opens their defense of the HBCU title on Sept. 24 in Atlanta, GA against the Spartans of Norfolk State University in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge at Center Parc Stadium.