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A full lap around the sun.
On Jan. 27, 2024, James Colzie III became Florida A&M’s 19th full-time head football coach. He was promoted from the Rattlers’ assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach.
Colzie replaced former FAMU head coach Willie Simmons, who left on New Year’s Day 2024 to become Duke’s running backs coach and was later named the head coach at Florida International last December. Colzie was an assistant on Simmons’ FAMU staff for two seasons.
“You go through a year and get a chance to learn the job. Even though I got to see Coach Simmons do it for two years, I realized there are many different factors you got to deal with daily,” Colzie told the Tallahassee Democrat, reflecting on the first anniversary of landing the FAMU football job.
“I’m extremely blessed with the opportunity. But there’s more to being a head coach at FAMU than just showing up on Saturday.”
In his first season as FAMU’s head coach, Colzie’s Rattlers finished 7-5 and tied for second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference East division.
FAMU’s 7-5 season was a year removed from the Rattlers winning the Black College Football National Championship.
While the 2024 outcome was below Colzie’s standards, he embraces the pressures that come with the job.
That’s what keeps him going.
“It’s great to be a head coach when we win. And there are some setbacks when you lose,” said Colzie, 50. “This is perennially and historically one of the best jobs in the country. But also, with all of that comes the expectations and support. You’re treated a little bit differently when you are the head football coach at Florida A&M.
“This is a very, very honored position to be in.”
When Colzie was named FAMU’s football coach, he landed the job relatively late in the head coaching hiring process.
That troubled the Rattlers in some aspects.
The Rattlers were plagued with key players entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on top of graduations from the championship team.
Colzie says portal exits haven’t been a problem this year. FAMU has 94 players today, compared to 61 this time last year.
“Still got a lot of work to do,” Colzie said. “You got to continue to feed the beast. It’s an ongoing process ― whether it’s the staff or the players. This is when you’re building the team. Around this time last year, we were hit hard by the portal. We do not have that [now].”
James Colzie III leading offseason to improve FAMU football
The work has begun for the Rattlers.
There’s no uncertainty or distractions.
Colzie’s FAMU football team has begun winter workouts to prepare for spring football practice and the 2025 season.
The Rattlers’ spring game is scheduled for April 12 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
“There’s nothing in the air about who the head coach will be. No one knew what would happen,” Colzie said. “Our guys are in a much better mind frame as we prepare for the spring.”
Colzie aspires to return FAMU football to its championship form.
So, this time of the year is vital to making Colzie’s wish a reality this December.
“The goal is the goal. That’s to be competing for a SWAC championship and then a Celebration Bowl championship,” Colzie said.
How does FAMU return to the SWAC title game and Celebration Bowl?
Cohesion.
“We’re going to have to be together ― not just on the football team but on the staff,” Colzie said. “Everyone has to be on the same page, understand the expectations, and understand the mission. And it starts from the top. The football team is a microcosm of how we handle ourselves in the building, on the field, and the practice field.
“It’s a reflection of myself. I was sometimes unhappy with how our team was portrayed last year. That’s been a focal point for myself, the staff, and the players.”
FAMU football’s 2025 mantra: Details, Discipline, DOMINATE
FAMU football is known for its mantras every season.
Last year, it was ‘Reload and Repeat.’ But FAMU fell short of repeating as HBCU football’s top team.
So, now it’s about majoring in the minors for the Rattlers to hoist the SWAC and Celebration Bowl trophies at the year’s end.
“We’re still going to keep ‘Finish’ and ‘FAMULY.’ But there are three things that we’re going to make sure we add ― ‘Details, Discipline,’ and if we take care of those two things, it should be an easier time to ‘Dominate,’” Colzie said.
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 GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: James Colzie III reflects on 1st anniversary as FAMU football head coach