The wait is almost over.
The defending Black College National Champions Florida A&M’s 2024 fall football training camp is coming.
The Rattlers will have their first practice on Thursday to prepare for the 2024 football season, which starts on Aug. 24 versus the Norfolk State Spartans in Atlanta’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge .
FAMU returns from a 12-1 season that saw it win its first Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship and Celebration Bowl on the way to capturing the program’s 16th Black College Football National title .
However, the Rattlers are now under a new head football coach, James Colzie III . Colzie signed a three-year contract worth $720,000 to replace former FAMU head coach Willie Simmons , who now coaches the Duke Blue Devils’ running backs.
Though Colzie is in his first year as FAMU’s head coach, he knows the program’s culture. Before being named the Rattlers’ 19th full-time head coach, Colzie was FAMU’s assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach.
So, the standard and expectation remain the same for FAMU ― reign as the top HBCU football team and continue as a Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse.
Here’s a full breakdown of what to know for FAMU’s training camp, which preludes to the Rattlers’ ‘reload and repeat’ 2024 season.
How many practices will FAMU have during 2024's Fall Football Training Camp?
FAMU’s fall football training camp runs from Thursday, July 24 to Wednesday, Aug. 21.
The Rattlers will practice 25 times during that timeframe.
The end of FAMU’s training camp will transition into the Rattlers’ first game versus the Norfolk State Spartans on Aug. 24.
New coach, new team: 2024 Fall Football Training Camp vital for FAMU
FAMU is Colzie’s first head coaching job on the NCAA Division I level.
Colzie’s previous head coaching gig was at Saint Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, where he spent five seasons coaching the Huskies. Colzie went 23-19 at SMU with two Loney Bowl appearances in 2017 and 2018.
Colzie’s hire at FAMU was followed by him making some promotions within his inaugural staff.
FAMU offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Joseph Henry now adds assistant head coach and play caller to his duties. Milton Patterson is now the Rattlers’ defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, moving from previously coaching the defensive line.
FAMU’s player roster features many new faces, including a recruiting class of incoming freshmen and transfers of nearly 50.
Additionally, according to HERO Sports’ Sam Herder , FAMU’s 27 transfers from Football Bowl Subdivision teams are the most amongst FCS programs.
Headlining the roster overhaul at FAMU’s training camp will be the ongoing quarterback battle between Florida Atlantic graduate transfer Daniel Richardson and returning Rattlers redshirt junior Junior Muratovic to succeed the 2023 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Jeremy Moussa , who graduated.
Defensively, the Rattlers will look to find the right mix to help recoup the loss of the now-graduated 2023 SWAC Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Isaiah Major , among other graduations and transfer portal losses.
Key FAMU Transfers (One Per Position Group)
- Daniel Richardson, Florida Atlantic, Quarterback
- Thad Franklin Jr., Louisiana Monroe, Running Back
- A'Ceon Cobb, Florida Atlantic, Wide Receiver
- Karter Johnson, Pittsburgh, Tight End
- Christian Wingfield, Austin Peay, Offensive Lineman
- Clyde Pinder Jr., Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Defensive Lineman
- Brian Norris Jr., South Florida, Linebacker
- Demorie Tate, Florida State, Defensive Back
How are the defending Black College Football National Champions FAMU expected to perform 2024?
While the Rattlers and their fans seek another championship year, some feel they will fall short.
Last Tuesday, the SWAC released its predicted order of finish , placing FAMU at second in the East division behind Alabama State. The Rattlers and the Hornets meet on Oct. 5 in Montgomery.
For the Rattlers to return to the Celebration Bowl, they must win the SWAC Championship.
FAMU had seven players garner All-SWAC Preseason honors:
- Ashton Grable, Offensive Lineman, First Team
- Kendall Bohler, Defensive Back, First Team
- Deco Wilson, Defensive Back, First Team,
- Cameron Gillis, Placekicker, First Team
- Kelvin Dean Jr., Running Back, Second Team
- Jamari Gassett, Wide Receiver/Return Specialist, Second Team (two awards)
- Allen Smith Jr., Defensive Lineman, Second Team
Here are the key games for FAMU football's 2024 season
FAMU football is playing a full 12-game slate in 2024.
The Rattlers will host five games at Bragg Memorial Stadium, the site of the second-longest home winning streak in the FCS with 19 straight victories.
FAMU will hit the road five times in 2024.
The remaining two FAMU football games are at neutral sites.
FAMU's key football games for the 2024 season:
- vs. Norfolk State, MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta ― Non-Conference, Aug. 24
- vs. South Carolina State, Non-Conference, Aug. 31
- at Alabama State, SWAC, Oct. 5
- at Jackson State, SWAC, Oct. 19
- vs. Bethune-Cookman, Florida Classic in Orlando ― SWAC, Nov. 23
Florida A&M Rattlers 2024 Football Schedule
- Aug. 24 vs. Norfolk State in MEAC/SWAC Challenge, Atlanta* at 7:30 p.m., ABC
- Aug. 31 vs. South Carolina State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
- Sept. 7 at Miami, 6 p.m., ACC Network
- Sept. 21 at Troy, 7 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
- Sept. 28 vs. Alabama A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN+
- Oct. 5 at Alabama State, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
- Oct. 19 at Jackson State, 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN Network
- Oct. 26 vs. Southern, 7 p.m., ESPN Network
- Nov. 2 vs. Texas Southern (HOMECOMING), 4 p.m., ESPN+
- Nov. 9 at Prairie View A&M, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
- Nov. 16 vs. Mississippi Valley State, 1 p.m., HBCU GO
- Nov. 23 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Florida Classic, Orlando*, 3:30 p.m., ESPN Network
- Nov. 30: FCS Playoffs Begin
- Dec. 7: SWAC Championship, LOCATION/TEAMS TBA, ESPN2
- Dec. 14: Celebration Bowl, Atlanta*, TEAMS TBA, 12 p.m., ABC
BOLD = SWAC
* = Neutral Site
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: 2024 Fall Football Training Camp Primer: What to know as FAMU prepares to defend HBCU title
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