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The NCAA Transfer Portal has reopened for entry. What should FAMU football pursue?
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- The NCAA Transfer Portal has reopened for entry. What should FAMU football pursue?
April 15 is a day circled on calendars across college football.
On Monday, the NCAA Transfer Portal reopened for a 15-day window. It closes on April 30.
However, graduate transfers can enter the portal whenever.
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Over the years, Florida A&M has built talented rosters through the transfer portal.
First-year Rattlers head coach James Colzie III looks to replicate the same style of team that won last season's Black College Football National Championship by attacking the portal.
Under Colzie, FAMU completed its spring football camp, culminating in last Saturday's Orange and Green Game .
"Spring practice is done. I think everyone knows that it's time for us to hop into the portal, take a look at the portal, and take a look at players that can help us get to that next step," Colzie said. "Believe me, there are a lot more players who want to be here at Florida A&M than people know. Our product will be either equal or better than it was last year.
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"We got to bring some of the missing pieces that we need to make sure we are the true reigning national champions and ready to compete once the season starts."
The current climate of Football Championship Subdivision and HBCU divisions is players looking for opportunities to elevate to teams of Football Bowl Subdivision conferences.
During the spring, the portal heavily impacted the Rattlers, headlined by entries by All-Southwestern Athletic Conference performers, defensive linemen Anthony Dunn Jr. and Gentle Hunt , linebacker Johnny Chaney Jr. , and Lovie Jenkins .
"They're in the portal not because of their dislike of FAMU. They're just in the portal to see what they can get at that Group of Five or Power Five level," Colzie said of the latest flux of departing transfers .
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"If it doesn't work out for them, guess where they'll be? Right here back at Florida A&M. I speak to them every single day, and that communication is great. I'm with them. I understand them. I'm rooting for them. Coaches are calling me about the guys in the portal, and I'm telling them the honest truth about all of them.
"Rattler Nation, believe it or not, if we don't have them, we'll still be good because we'll find somebody to replace them. If they do stay, we're still going to be good."
Football games are won at the line of scrimmage.
So, the trenches are Colzie's top priority in the portal.
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"We're going to take a look at the defensive line. That position has hurt us the most with guys in the portal," Colzie said.
"It's a double-edged sword with that because while our guys are in the portal, we have those same guys asking if there would still be room for them if they come back. We'll have many guys reaching out to us on Monday, and we'll also reach out to guys to check interest.
"If we act chaotically, then it becomes a chaotic process. We have certain ideas of what we want our guys to look like and positions where we want them to play. So, we'll hone in on what we really want and ID those guys."
What should FAMU football target in the NCAA Transfer Portal?
Offensively, the Rattlers haven't lost much to the transfer portal.
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However, FAMU offensive lineman Kardell Thomas , who joined the Rattlers from Louisiana State last season, entered his name in the portal.
Luckily for the Rattlers, the offensive line is the unit that returned the most from last year's championship run.
However, the FAMU offensive line unit has also been bitten by the injury bug in past seasons. So, adding extra depth to the Rattlers' frontend protection plan would be vital in case of emergency.
Defensively is where the Rattlers have been impacted the most.
Alongside All-SWAC performers Dunn, Hunt, Chaney, and Jenkins in the portal, the Rattlers also lost key players, including defensive lineman Allen Smith and defensive back Deco Wilson .
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FAMU's numbers were low for defensive linemen and linebackers during spring football.
So, as Colzie mentioned, the Rattlers are in hot pursuit of adding defensive linemen. But the Rattlers also should go after linebackers as those have been the rocks of FAMU's nationally acclaimed 'Dark Cloud Defense.'
Florida A&M Rattlers 2024 Recruiting Class
Jackson State's wide receiver Kobe Paul (19) shakes hands with Texas Southern's wide receiver Quay Davis (5) after Jackson State's win at the Mississippi Veterans Memorial Football Stadium in Jackson, Miss., on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023.
Quarterback
Alston Hooker ― North Carolina A&T
Daniel Richardson ― Florida Atlantic
Running Back
Jaylen Neal ― Buford High School (Georgia)
Wide Receiver
Marquez Bell ― Old Dominion
Caden Bridgeman — Niceville High School
A'Ceon Cobb ― Florida Atlantic
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Quay Davis ― Texas Southern
Amari Johnson ― Central Florida
Tight End
Karter Johnson ― Pitt
Jayden Evans ― Central Michigan
Offensive Lineman
Jeremy Fishkin ― Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Florida)
Defensive Line
Montra Edwards ― Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Brekien Harold ― Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory (Hollywood, Florida)
Clyde Pinder Jr. ― Copiah-Lincoln Community Collge
Linebacker
Landon Bolding ― Monarch High School (Coconut Creek, Florida)
Jayren Fox ― Mississippi Valley State
Darrick McGhee Jr. — Florida High
Jerome Nichols ― Michigan
Adrian Owens ― Lamar
Defensive Back
Jameel Sanders ― South Florida
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Demorie Tate ― Florida State
Specialists
Max Larson ― Kicker ― Florida State
Andrew Tisher ― Punter ― Stetson
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. 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: Rattlers 'hopping in' NCAA Transfer Portal to fill roster
