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How does James Colzie III grade FAMU football's season so far? 'It's not good enough.'
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- How does James Colzie III grade FAMU football's season so far? 'It's not good enough.'
Florida A&M football hasn't played up to par this season.
James Colzie III knows it.
Everyone knows it.
Entering Week 7 of the college football season, the Rattlers have a 1-3 overall record and a 0-1 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference .
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FAMU's lone win was in Week 3 against Albany State (33-25), and losses came to Howard (10-9), Florida Atlantic (56-14), and, most recently, Alabama State (42-14) in the SWAC opener.
FAMU's second-year head coach Colzie didn't hold back on grading the Rattlers through the program's worst four-game start since the 2016 season .
"I'm probably going to say 'D' on both of them," he said when asked to grade FAMU's offense and defense in his weekly local media Zoom call on Monday, Oct. 6.
"I hate to be critical of what we're doing. But we're 1-3. We probably left one game on the table that we should've had. The 'D' comes as a team. But I think there's time to pull it back and get better."
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Through four games, FAMU's total offense ranks eighth out of 12 SWAC teams and 80th out of 129 Football Championship Subdivision squads. The Rattlers average 334.8 yards per game and 17.5 points per game.
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III leads his team out the tunnel for a NCAA Southwestern Athletic Conference football game versus the Alabama State Hornets on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025.
"It's not good enough," Colzie emphasized. "In the stats and the yardage, for the most part, it's middle of the pack. But it just hasn't been good enough to win."
A point of concern surrounding FAMU's offense has been the status of its quarterback situation and the frequency of drops by wide receivers.
RJ Johnson III has been the Rattlers' starting quarterback in all four games, completing 72 of 115 pass attempts for 810 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
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Earlier this week, Colzie said he and the FAMU coaching staff are evaluating who will start at quarterback "for the best interest" of the Rattlers when they face the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's North Carolina Central (4-2) this Saturday, Oct 11.
The Rattlers have a three-way tie in reception leaders, with receivers Kenari Wilcher and Armand Burris, and tight end Miles Campbell, all having nine apiece.
Defensively, the FAMU ranks fourth in the SWAC and 51st in the FCS, allowing 368.5 yards per game.
The Rattlers have struggled to stop the run, with opponents averaging 165.5 on the ground. The Rattlers allow 203 passing yards per game.
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A positive that Colzie has taken from FAMU's early-season struggles is having just one turnover this season on Jett Peddy's tipped interception versus Albany State and not being overly penalized.
Last year, the Rattlers struggled with fumbles and were one of the most penalized teams in the FCS .
"When I think about last year's team, we were a team that turned the ball over a lot and had a bunch of penalties," Colzie said. "Our penalties have improved, and we've literally only turned the ball over one time this year in the first four games."
Things will get 'better or worst' for FAMU football vs NCCU, remaining games
After losing its SWAC opener to Alabama State, FAMU was handed an unplanned bye week after its Georgia Football Classic game versus Mississippi Valley State was cancelled, relocated to Itta Bena, and rescheduled to Nov. 29 .
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Colzie said after evaluations and locker room talks during the bye, the Rattlers got a better feel for what's needed as they chase the SWAC standings from behind in the final month and a half of the season.
"The state right now is that it's either going to get better or get worse. It can't stay the same," Colzie said. "In that conversation, we just talked about what each individual needs to do to get better. Sometimes, the first thing you want to do is point fingers, where the reality is you've got to look at yourself."
The Rattlers have a chance to get a statement win over the NCCU Eagles, who have been one of HBCUs' top football teams in recent years.
Florida A&M Rattlers linebacker Nay'Ron Jenkins (45) cheers after an interception.
However, it will take FAMU to have a whistle-to-whistle performance versus NCCU to spark a midseason turnaround.
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"We haven't been able to put a complete game together," Colzie said. "If anything's going to get fixed, it's going to be done by the people inside the building. I think a lot of guys are taking ownership of that."
Florida A&M (1-3, 0-1 in SWAC) vs North Carolina Central (4-2)
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When: Saturday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m.
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Where: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
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TV/Radio: HBCU GO, 96.1 JAMZ
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 .
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football graded a 'D' through first four games, says James Colzie
