FAMU football is set to open its 2025 season on Aug. 30 versus Howard. Here’s all the information you need to know about the Rattlers.
It’s game week.
Florida A&M football is set to begin its 2025 season versus Howard in Week 1’s Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 30. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. on ESPNU.
Led by second-year head coach James Colzie III, the Rattlers enter the new season after going 7-5 overall and 5-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2024.
Here’s a one-stop shop for all FAMU football information ahead of the 2025 season.
FAMU football all-time record, championships
- 598-343-22 all-time record
- 29-24-2 all-time bowl game record
- 17 claimed national championships
- 38 conference championships
FAMU football's expected performance for 2025 season
The SWAC picked the Rattlers to finish second in the East division behind the defending Black College Football National Champions, Jackson State.
If the prediction holds up, it means FAMU will miss the HBCU postseason, including the SWAC title game and the Celebration Bowl, which decides the Black College Football National Champion.
FAMU football head coach James Colzie III: Quick Facts
James Colzie III is entering his second season as FAMU’s head football coach.
Colzie, 50, is a Miami native who played college football and baseball at Florida State University and had a brief professional career for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Montreal Expos organization.
Colzie joined FAMU football’s coaching staff in 2022 as the cornerbacks coach under former head coach Willie Simmons, now at Florida International University. Before FAMU, Colzie was the head coach at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Colzie was promoted to the Rattlers’ assistant head coach in 2023, a season that saw FAMU hoist the SWAC and Celebration Bowl trophies to become the Black College Football National Champions.
In January 2024, Colzie became FAMU’s 19th full-time head football coach to replace Simmons, who left to be the running backs coach at Duke.
During his first season at the helm, Colzie’s Rattlers went 7-5 and 5-3 in the SWAC.
Key starters lost from FAMU football's 2024 team
- Daniel Richardson/Quarterback/Graduated: 231 completions on 330 attempts (70 percent) for 2,662 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, eight interceptions
- Kelvin Dean Jr./Running Back/Graduated: 94 rushing attempts for 482 rushing yards (5.1 yards per carry), one touchdown
- Quan Lee/Wide Receiver/Transferred to Arkansas State: 27 receptions for 310 yards, two touchdowns
- Koby Gross/Tight End/Transferred to Ball State: 24 receptions for 257 receptions, three touchdowns
- TJ Lee/Center, Guard/Graduated: Four-year starter
- James Ash/Defensive Tackle/Transferred to Auburn: 44 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks
- Allen Smith Jr./Defensive End/Graduated: 38 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks
- Aric Horne/Linebacker/Graduated: 58 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery
- Kendall Bohler/Cornerback/Graduated: 33 tackles, three tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one interception
- Deco Wilson/Safety/Graduated: 85 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, two interceptions
- Cameron Gillis/Kicker/Graduated: 15 field goals made on 18 attempts (83 percent), longest field goal made was 45 yards
FAMU football's top players entering 2025 season
- Thad Frankin Jr./Running Back/Graduate Student/Miami, Florida: Preseason HBCU All-American and All-SWAC First Team
- Charles Davis/Offensive Lineman/Redshirt Senior/Marianna, Florida: Preseason HBCU All-American and All-SWAC First Team
- Ashton Grable/Offensive Lineman/Redshirt Senior/Gordon, Georgia: Preseason HBCU All-American and All-SWAC First Team
- James Gardner Jr./Defensive End/Graduate Student/Fort Pierce, Florida: Preseason All-SWAC Second Team
- Davion Westmoreland/Defensive End/Graduate Student/Griffin, Georgia: Preseason HBCU All-American and All-SWAC First Team
- Nay'Ron Jenkins/Linebacker/Senior/Alachua, Florida: Preseason HBCU All-American Honorable Mention and All-SWAC First Team
- TJ Huggins/Cornerback/Redshirt Senior/Miami, Florida: Preseason HBCU All-American and All-SWAC First Team
- Jameel Sanders/Defensive Back/Redshirt Senior/Plainfield, New Jersey: Preseason All-SWAC Second Team
FAMU football roster breakdown
There are 103 players listed on FAMU’s 2025 football roster.
Of those, 78 are from Florida, with 10 from Tallahassee.
The Rattlers have 14 Georgia-born players, two from California, two from Michigan, two from New Jersey, one from Alabama, one from Illinois, one from Maryland, one from South Carolina, and one from the Bahamas.
FAMU football coaching staff
- James Colzie III, Head Coach
- Henry Burris, Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
- Kenwick Thompson, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
- Kevin Weston, Special Teams Coordinator/Nickelbacks Coach
- Cedric Williams, Co-Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator
- Vincent Jefferies Jr., Offensive Pass Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach
- Andre Pope, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach
- Kevin Maurice, Recruiting Coordinator/Running Backs Coach
- Casey Walker, Defensive Line Coach
- Chris St. John, Defensive Ends Coach
- Casey Warming, Tight Ends Coach
- Orlando McKinley, Defensive Analyst
- John Lowder, Video Director
- Christian Canidate, Graduate Assistant
- Austin Shealy, Graduate Assistant
- Deryk Hill, Graduate Assistant
- David Eggleston, Graduate Assistant
- Ray Matthews Jr., Volunteer Football Operations
- Jennifer Santiago, Chief of Staff
- Maurice 'Mo' Sims, Associate Athletics Director for Sports Performance and Wellness
- Brandon Randolph, Director of Equipment Operations
- Dennis Driscoll, Senior Associate Athletics Director for Brand Advancement
Florida A&M Football 2025 Schedule
- Week 1: Saturday, Aug. 30 ― vs. Howard (Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium), 4 p.m., ESPNU
- Week 2: Saturday, Sept. 6 ― at Florida Atlantic, 6 p.m., ESPN Plus
- Week 3: Saturday, Sept. 13 ― vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV
- Week 4: BYE/OPEN WEEK
- Week 5: Saturday, Sept. 27 ― vs. Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Week 6: Saturday, Oct. 4 ― vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC/at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 4 p.m., SWAC TV
- Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central, 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming), 4 p.m., ESPN Plus
- Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC), 5 p.m., SWAC TV
- Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC), 7 p.m., ESPN Network
- Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando's Camping World Stadium), TIME TBA, ESPN Plus
- Saturday, Nov. 29 ― NCAA FCS Playoffs Begin (If Necessary)
- Saturday, Dec. 6 ― SWAC Championship Game (If Necessary)
- Saturday, Dec. 13 ― Celebration Bowl at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (If Necessary)
- Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 ― NCAA FCS National Championship Game at Nashville's FirstBank Stadium (If Necessary)
All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football 2025 season guide: All-time record, key players, coaches
Category: General Sports
