FAMU football searching for a new coach. Who should get a call?

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FAMU football searching for a new coach. Who should get a call?

Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat · Tallahassee Democrat

Tue, Dec 9, 2025 ·

8 min read

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The search is on.

Florida A&M will have a new head football coach after firing James Colzie III from his duties on Monday, Dec. 8, after two seasons.

Colzie went 12-12 in his two-season, 24-game tenure leading the Rattler s.

Offensive coordinator Henry Burris has been named FAMU's acting head coach.

The Rattlers went 7-5 in 2024 and 5-7 this past season under the freshly dismissed head coach. This year was FAMU's first losing season since 2017.

Who will lead the next chapter of FAMU and attempt to recapture the glory of the renowned HBCU football program, which boasts 17 national championships (16 Black College, one Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision)?

Will it be Albany State's head coach and Rattlers Hall of Fame quarterback Quinn Gray , who's been subject to chatter of being among the frontrunners?

Or will FAMU go in another direction?

Either way, there should be a thorough sift through candidates for the job.

Here are the coaches who should receive a call from FAMU's decision makers.

Quinn Gray

Current role: Albany State head coach

One of FAMU's favorite sons is in the mix for the Rattlers' head coaching job. Gray played quarterback for the Rattlers from 1997 to 2001 before going off to the National Football League. Gray has had coaching stops that include being FAMU's associate head coach and offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2014. He's also coached locally at Lincoln High School. In his third season as Albany State's head coach, Gray led the Golden Rams to a 12-2 season, Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship, and an appearance in the Division II Quarterfinals following two six-win seasons. One of the Golden Rams' losses was a narrow 33-25 shortfall at FAMU's home opener this September .

KJ Black

Current role: Atlanta Falcons offensive assistant

KJ Black is a coach who's familiar with the Southwestern Athletic Conference as a former star and championship quarterback at Prairie View A&M. He's also been at FAMU, serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under former head coach Willie Simmons. Black entered the National Football League coaching ranks as part of the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship in 2021. He left FAMU for a job with the Rams in 2022 and then joined the Atlanta Falcons staff as an offensive assistant in 2024. The question would be would he want to leave those NFL rooms to be the head of the Rattlers' rebuild.

Teddy Bridgewater

Current role: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback

If FAMU wants to make a splash celebrity hire, Teddy Bridgewater would be the way to go. Currently a backup quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bridgewater earned some coaching chops at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern in 2024, leading the Bulls to the Class 3A Florida High School Athletic Association state championship in his lone season there. Bridgewater left Miami Northwestern in August after being suspended by the school for feeding his players, providing Uber rides, among other things with his personal money. Bridgewater would open the floodgates even wider for the Miami recruiting base, a hub for FAMU football attracting talent.

Maurice Flowers

Current role: Johnson C. Smith head coach

Maurice Flowers has led a rebuild of NCAA Division II HBCU Johnson C. Smith after it hadn't had a winning season since 2012. Flowers is 27-15 leading the Golden Bulls. They went 10-2 this season and won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship this year. Flowers was named the CIAA's Co-Coach of the Year the last two seasons.

DeSean Jackson

Current role: Delaware State head coach

DeSean Jackson, former Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver, would do wonders at FAMU. This past season, Jackson got his first head coaching job in just year two of his career on the sidelines. He led an herculean turnaround for the Delaware State Hornets, ending the season with an 8-4 record and was a win away from winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship. Delaware State hadn't had a winning season since 2017. Jackson's name alone would bring eyes and players wanting to play at FAMU, especially after what he did for the struggling Hornets in just one year.

Tremaine Jackson

Current role: Prairie View A&M head coach

Tremaine Jackson confident personality is the bravado a FAMU football coach would need. The Prairie View A&M coach prophesized his Panthers winning the SWAC to reach Atlanta's Celebration Bowl. Prairie View A&M (10-3) defeated the defending Black College Football National Champions Jackson State 23-21 for the SWAC title last Saturday, Dec. 6. Prairie View A&M will face South Carolina State this Saturday, Dec. 13 in the Celebration Bowl at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium to decide the 2025 Black College Football National Champion. This comes a year after Jackson led the Valdosta State Blazers to the Division II championship game in 2024. Jackson has applied for the FAMU job before and has been active on social media urging fans to attend Panthers football games, something he wouldn't have to do in Tallahassee.

Kaleb Nobles

Current role: West Florida head coach

Kaleb Nobles has worked his way up the coaching ranks at his alma mater West Florida. The former Argonauts quarterback and longtime assistant was tapped as head coach in 2023 and has led the Argonauts to two Division II playoff appearances. This season, Nobles guided West Florida to a 10-2 record and was named the Gulf South Conference's Coach of the Year. He's 25-9 in his three-year tenure in Pensacola. Nobles' Argonauts faced the Rattlers in 2023, their Celebration Bowl year, and challenged them but faltered 31-10 in the Division II versus Division I moment.

Trei Oliver

Current role: North Carolina Central head coach

Trei Oliver is one of the best coaches in HBCU and the FCS as a whole. He's been the head coach at his alma mater, North Carolina Central, since 2019. Oliver's Eagles had a losing season his first year then sparked to an HBCU football powerhouse under his tutelage. North Carolina Central won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship outright in 2022 and shared the trophy in 2023. The Eagles defeated Deion Sanders' star studded Jackson State Tigers team in the 2022 Celebration Bowl and played in the FCS playoffs in 2024. North Carolina Central handed FAMU one of its worst home losses in recent years with a 45-7 trouncing this October. Would the Rattlers head coaching vacancy lure Oliver away from home and a program he built on his shoulders?

Dr. Alvin Parker

Current role: Virginia Union head coach and Associate Athletic Director

Dr. Alvin Parker of the Virginia Union Panthers is another head coach who could make the Division I to Division II ranks. He's also Virginia Union's associate athletic director and would come with administrative experience as FAMU's front office faces constant changes. Since 2018, Parker has led his alma mater to a 59-20 record and two CIAA titles in 2023 and 2024. He won the league's coach of the year in 2023. The Panthers have played in the Division II playoffs in each of the last four seasons.

Ja'Juan Seider

Background: Notre Dame associate head coach and running backs coach

Would Ja'Juan Seider want to leave the Power Four assistant ranks to become a first-time head coach? FAMU, where he was a standout quarterback, could interest him. Seider has 25 years of coaching experience from high school to the Florida Gators, Penn State, and currently Notre Dame's associate head coach and running backs coach. He helped Penn State reach the College Football Playoffs' Orange Bowl in 2024 and assisted Notre Dame's 10-2 record this season. However, head coaching experience elude him. But working with top football programs isn't something to snark at when assessing his qualifications for the FAMU job.

Ryan Smith

Current role: Florida International linebackers coach

The name Ryan 'Smitty Rock' Smith rings bells for many Rattler football fans faces. He's one of the masterminds behind FAMU's Dark Cloud Defense, which finished near the top of the FCS statistics during his time working under former coach Willie Simmons. Smith wasn't FAMU's defensive coordinator. His official title was Head Coach of the Defense. Smith was in the mix to get elevated to head coach when FAMU ultimately chose Colzie. He then left to be Murray State's defensive coordinator for the 2024 season and is now working on Simmons staff again as Florida International's linebackers coach. Smith helped the FIU Panthers go 7-5 and reach the First Responders Bowl, the program's first bowl game since 2019.

Billy Rolle

Dec. 16, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Florida A&M fans stand up during the Cricket Celebration Bowl game between Florida A&M University and Howard University at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. FAMU defeated Howard 30-26. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network

Current role: Retired

If Billy Rolle wants to get back into coaching, the FAMU job may be the only one that can get him to come out of retirement. A FAMU Hall of Fame defensive back, Rolle was on Willie Simmons' staff as a special assistant to the head coach and nickelbacks coach before leaving the program after the 2022 season. The 64-year-old is a famed high school in South Florida that would help FAMU recruit the area. He's the only high school football coach in Florida history to win state championships at three different schools. Rolle won his first title in 1998 with the Miami Northwestern Bulls and guided the school to another in 2007 alongside a mythical national championship. In 2004, under Rolle, Miami Killian won its first and only state title. He added a fourth state title trophy when Miami Southridge won the FHSAA Class 8A in 2016.

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: FAMU football should call Quinn Gray, Tremaine Jackson for coaching job

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