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FAMU football coach James Colzie III grappling with roster decisions amid House vs. NCAA ruling
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- FAMU football coach James Colzie III grappling with roster decisions amid House vs. NCAA ruling
Changes are afoot in college athletics.
On Friday, June 6, the United States District Court approved the House vs. NCAA settlement . This ruling allows Division I schools to financially compensate athletes through revenue sharing, separate from Name, Image, and Likeness deals.
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"The approval of the NCAA-House settlement represents a significant change in how we must navigate our responsibilities and opportunities within college athletics," Florida A&M Vice President and Director of Athletics Angela Suggs said in a released statement.
"We encourage Rattler Nation to give your resources, voice, and support to help us navigate this new landscape."
Furthermore, the House vs. NCAA's passing will require college football coaches to limit their player rosters to 105, regardless of scholarship or walk-on status.
Football teams will also get 105 scholarships, men's basketball will get 15 scholarships, women's basketball stay at 15, and baseball will get 34.
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The House vs. NCAA settlement leaves FAMU's second-year head football coach, James Colzie III , having to trim his roster, as the athletic department and the Southwestern Athletic Conference opted into the ruling.
"It's definitely in the back of our heads," Colzie told the Tallahassee Democrat. "We talk about it when we're recruiting. We can't go over that number once we get to that number. But once we have it solidified, there's a process in place, and we'll make sure we take care of that."
The Rattlers and fellow SWAC teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision, meaning they previously had 63 scholarships on rosters that featured up to 120 players.
There's no universally enforced deadline to cut roster sizes, but FAMU football is assessing its team amidst ongoing summertime organized team activities. Colzie says he has a set amount of players he wants to retain per position as he reduces the roster to 105.
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"We evaluate our roster every day," Colzie explained. "I'll have to decide and have those tough conversations with guys. They're making sure they're doing everything they need to do every day to ensure they're in that 105."
Cut FAMU football players may have a chance to rejoin team in the future
The Rattlers will play a 12-game regular season schedule in 2025 , starting with the Howard Bison in Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium's Orange Blossom Classic on Saturday, Aug. 30.
Like any football season, Colzie knows his team will likely be subject to injuries here and there.
"It's a long season. A lot of things happen," he said.
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"Knock on wood, you lose players at times. And we want to continue to have those guys that might have been the 106, 107, 108 with us somehow. And if we do lose somebody, we bring that 106th guy, and I'll make him the 105th guy. We got that stuff in place to keep them available and ready, but I haven't necessarily decided who will be in the 105 and who will not."
Colzie plans to maintain a rapport with players removed from the roster due to the House vs. NCAA settlement for future opportunities to return to the FAMU football team.
The House vs. NCAA settlement allows football to "grandfather in" players who would have been cut due to the 105 roster limit. That means Colzie can designate certain FAMU players to be exempt from the roster cap, allowing them to continue playing and retaining their scholarships.
"You got some guys that this is what they've been doing the last two or three years, gave everything they could as scout team players," Colzie said. "So, I want to make sure I keep my pulse on them because, again ― long season. You know some guys will have some, hopefully just minor injuries. But we'll have to be able to pick from those guys who aren't on the 105 initially because things do happen during the season."
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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, 6 p.m.
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Week 4: BYE/OPEN WEEK
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Week 5: Saturday, Sept. 27 ― vs. Alabama State (SWAC)
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Week 6: Saturday, Oct. 4 ― at Mississippi Valley State (SWAC/at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
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Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central
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Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming)
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Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC)
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Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC)
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Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), 3 p.m
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Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC)
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Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando's Camping World Stadium)
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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.
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's James Colzie must reduce roster after House-NCAA ruling
