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James Colzie III fired as FAMU football coach after dismal 2025 season
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- James Colzie III fired as FAMU football coach after dismal 2025 season
James Colzie III will no longer roam the sidelines for Florida A&M football.
The program parted ways with the second-year head coach on Dec. 8, a day that happened to be his 51st birthday, after finishing the 2025 season with a 5-7 record and 4-4 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
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It was FAMU's first non-winning season since 2017.
Colzie confirmed to the Tallahassee Democrat that he was summoned to Lee Hall at around 4:30 p.m. and was informed that he was being fired by interim Athletic Director Michael Smith and a Human Resource representative.
"You want to finish what you started," Colzie told the Tallahassee Democrat. "When you are not given the opportunity … especially with the timing of it … it's a little bit disappointing."
Frontrunners to replace Colzie include former FAMU Hall of Fame quarterback and current Albany State coach Quinn Gray , who starred for the Rattlers from 1997 to 2001 before a stint in the National Football League.
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FAMU taps interim coach, thanks James Colzie III for 'service and commitment'
In a release posted on its official athletics website, FAMU President Marva Johnson announced Colzie's departure and revealed that the university has named Rattlers' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Henry Burris as acting head football coach.
As a wave of players have already signaled their intent to bolt the program for the NCAA Transfer Portal , Burris' immediate priorities "include guiding the program through the coaching transition, managing player cohesion, supporting active recruitment efforts, and ensuring that the program remains focused and prepared as FAMU charts its path forward," according to the release.
Florida A&M Rattlers assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Henry Burris looks on during a training camp football practice on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Aug. 5, 2025.
Johnson said in a statement, "that excellence is the standard" that must be upheld at the nation's top public HBCU – on the field and in the classroom.
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"Our football program and all Rattler sports are critical drivers of university pride, student recruitment, alumni engagement, and institutional momentum," she said. "Success on the field elevates our entire university, creates economic opportunity for our region, and inspires the next generation of Rattler scholars and leaders. This leadership transition reflects our commitment building on the proud legacy of FAMU athletics and its storied superstars, while transforming our programs to meet the demands of today's collegiate landscape – including competing in a dynamic recruiting environment shaped by NIL opportunities – and positioning FAMU at the championship level our community deserves."
The university also thanked Colzie for his "service and commitment" to FAMU Athletics.
"Coach Colzie's leadership during a period of transition and uncertainty provided stability and focus for our student athletes," according to the release. "We wish him continued success in his future endeavors."
Inside James Colzie III's coaching career and contract
Colzie's two-year tenure at FAMU was indeed punctuated by constant change and challenges.
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In his two years, FAMU has had three presidents and five athletic directors , including interims.
Colzie went 7-5 in his inaugural season in 2024.
FAMU recently lost 35-31 in its season finale to the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, who were just 1-10 before t riumphing over the Rattlers in Itta Bena on Nov. 29.
FAMU consistently struggled in big games this year , opening the season by losing in August's Orange Blossom Classic to Howard in Miami, 10-9, and also losing at the last second to rivals Bethune-Cookman in November, marking its first Florida Classic loss since 2019 .
Colzie's Rattlers were also on the receiving end of blowouts at home to top HBCU football teams Alabama State (42-14), North Carolina Central (45-7), and Jackson State (41-16) in a game that cost FAMU an opportunity to contend in the SWAC postseason picture.
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FAMU's losses on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium were by an average of 30.3 points.
Florida A&M Rattlers head coach James Colzie III (left) greets center Ricky Taylor before an NCAA Southwestern Athletic Conference game versus the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena, Mississippi, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.
That comes a year after FAMU was on a 23-game home winning streak spanning from 2019 to 2024. It was one of the longest in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
The Rattlers' home winning streak ended last November after being stunned by the previously winless Mississippi Valley State .
The Rattlers' victories this season came in a home-opening win versus NCAA Division II team Albany State (33-25), Alcorn State for homecoming (33-28), at Southern (43-35), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (31-28), and Alabama A&M (26-23).
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The Rattlers began the season 1-4, their worst five-game start since 2016.
Colzie finishes his two-season, 24-game tenure as FAMU's head coach with a 12-12 record.
Hired as the program's 19th full-time head football coach in January 2024, Colzie completed year two of a three-year contract worth $720,000. His deal started at $230,000 with $10,000 raises every season.
Colzie appears to be due $250,000 from FAMU for his final year of the contract.
FAMU football coach James Colzie fired: His tenure with the Rattlers
Colzie initially joined the FAMU coaching staff in 2022 as the cornerbacks coach under former coach Willie Simmons.
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The Miami native and former Florida State football and baseball player previously spent six seasons in Nova Scotia as Saint Mary University's head football coach from 2016 to 2021.
Colzie was elevated to the Rattlers' assistant head coach for the 2023 season. That year saw FAMU capture its first Southwestern Athletic Conference and Celebration Bowl titles en route to claiming the program's 16th Black College Football National Championship.
Once Simmons left to become Duke's running backs coach in January 2024, Colzie was hired by former FAMU Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes.
It took a month-long search, during which players and fans advocated for Colzie's promotion , with the expectation that he would maintain the Rattlers' championship status.
A press conference was held at Bragg Memorial Stadium officially announcing James Colzie III as Florida A&M UniversityÕs 19th head football coach Monday, Jan. 29, 2024.
Colzie went 7-5 in his first season and restructured his coaching staff, which included appointing new coordinators for offense, defense, and special teams for his second year at the helm. Additionally, the FAMU head coach assumed responsibility for defensive play-calling.
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However, wins were still hard to come by for the Rattlers as they were pedestrian in FCS and SWAC offensive and defensive statistics during the 2025 season.
In recent weeks, as fans have called for his firing, Colzie has been candid about falling short.
"There hasn't necessarily been a smooth sailing for the last 20 months as far as being the head coach up to this point," Colzie told local media in his weekly press conference on Nov. 24. "Taking this position, you understand the standards, the expectations of this program, and knowing where we have come from. We have not met the expectations."
(This is a developing story. Check back for details).
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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: James Colzie III fired as Florida A&M football coach after 2 seasons
