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FAMU football pushing through 'Dog Days' of training camp: 'They understand expectations.'
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- FAMU football pushing through 'Dog Days' of training camp: 'They understand expectations.'
Florida A&M football has entered the point of training camp that's likely the most difficult to navigate.
The 'Dog Days.'
Tuesday, Aug. 12 marked the beginning of the second full week of the Rattlers' training camp practices of the 2025 preseason. FAMU began practicing on Friday, Aug. 1, 11 days ago , while its Aug. 30 season opener versus Howard in Miami Gardens' Orange Blossom Classic is 18 days away.
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"These are one of those Dog Days," FAMU head football coach James Colzie III told the media after Tuesday's practice.
"This is a day you'll think about when you're on the sideline on Saturdays. If we were able to get through this day, we should get through a Saturday."
Tuesday was a situational practice day, pitting the offense and defense against each other under the Tallahassee heat that reached a high of 88 degrees. The second-year FAMU coach liked the competition between the units.
"I thought the guys pushed through. It was a fairly warm one," he said.
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"We worked a bunch of different situations today. Offense won some. Defense won some. So for the most part, that's a sign of a good football team. But when we got tired, you could tell some of the details started to falter a little bit."
The Florida A&M Rattlers held a training camp football practice on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025.
In Colzie's second year at the helm, the Rattlers return from a 7-5 overall record, 5-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season .
It was a season uncharacteristic of FAMU football. It won at least nine games in the previous four seasons and captured the SWAC and Black College National titles in 2023 under former head coach Willie Simmons, now Florida International's head coach .
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Colzie was an assistant coach on two FAMU teams in 2022 and 2023. He wants his Rattlers to reach that level once again.
Remaining driven through training camp practices could help.
"They understand the assignment ― the goals, the expectations of this university and football team," Colzie said of his FAMU team. "Bottom line, we know we've got to play well in the first game of the year. And going through these practices and some of the things we go through are all things we need to get ready for. They understand that."
The Rattlers held their first preseason scrimmage , which was closed to the media and public, on Saturday, Aug. 9.
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Jobs were taken, and some are still up for grabs.
That's added motivation to perform well at training camp, Colzie says.
"We had a scrimmage Saturday and had some movement on the depth chart," he explained.
"So now it's about whether you're going to stay down the depth chart or move yourself up. Those are all things as far as trying to stay motivated. Do you want to play for a national championship? Do you want to play for a conference championship?
"That's all the motivation most of those guys need."
Florida A&M Football 2025 Schedule
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Week 1: Saturday, Aug. 30 ― vs. Howard (Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium), 4 p.m., ESPNU
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Week 2: Saturday, Sept. 6 ― at Florida Atlantic, 6 p.m., ESPN Plus
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Week 3: Saturday, Sept. 13 ― vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV
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Week 4: BYE/OPEN WEEK
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Week 5: Saturday, Sept. 27 ― vs. Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
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Week 6: Saturday, Oct. 4 ― vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC/at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 4 p.m., SWAC TV
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Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central, 3 p.m., HBCU GO
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Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming), 4 p.m., ESPN Plus
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Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC), 5 p.m., SWAC TV
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Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC), 7 p.m., ESPN Network
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Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
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Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
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Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando's Camping World Stadium), TIME TBA, ESPN Plus
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Saturday, Nov. 29 ― NCAA FCS Playoffs Begin (If Necessary)
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Saturday, Dec. 6 ― SWAC Championship Game (If Necessary)
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Saturday, Dec. 13 ― Celebration Bowl at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (If Necessary)
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Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 ― NCAA FCS National Championship Game at Nashville's FirstBank Stadium (If Necessary)
All times listed are in Eastern Standard Time.
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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: Florida A&M football 2025 training camp: Rattlers enter the 'Dog Days'
