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FAMU football names RJ Johnson III starting quarterback for season opener vs Howard
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- FAMU football names RJ Johnson III starting quarterback for season opener vs Howard
Florida A&M head football coach James Colzie III has his guy.
RJ Johnson III has been named the starting quarterback for the Rattlers' season opener versus the Howard Bison in Aug. 30's Orange Blossom Classic , which will be played at 4 p.m. inside Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium on ESPNU.
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FAMU's sports information department confirmed the decision to the Tallahassee Democrat on Sunday, Aug. 24.
RJ Johnson III, a quarterback, transferred to Florida A&M as a redshirt sophomore from Toledo before the 2025 football season. Johnson is an Atlanta native, where he was an All-Star selection out of Westlake High School.
Johnson beat out Jett Peddy, Traven Green , Tyler Jefferson , and Bryson Martin in a training camp quarterback battle to get the keys to the Rattlers' offense in Week 1.
A transfer from the Toledo Rockets , Johnson enters the 2025 football season as a redshirt sophomore. He didn't play a snap or record any stats in his two seasons at Toledo.
Before his college football career, Johnson was a three-star prospect, an all-state selection, and a MaxPreps All-American while playing for the Westlake High School Lions in Southwest Atlanta.
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While playing for head coaches Bobby May and Rico Zackery, Johnson completed 574 passes on 869 attempts (66 percent) for 9,042, 79 touchdown throws against 22 interceptions as a four-year letterman at Westlake. Furthermore, Johnson added 160 carries for 697 rushing yards and 13 touchdown runs.
He graduated from Westlake in 2023.
Johnson's selection as FAMU's starting quarterback places him as the successor of two Rattler standouts in Jeremy Moussa (2022-2023) and Daniel Richardson (2024), HBCU All-Americans during their time on campus.
The Atlanta native is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds and will wear jersey No. 12 for the Rattlers .
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Florida A&M vs. Howard ― Orange Blossom Classic
When: Saturday, Aug. 30 at 4 p.m.
Where: Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida
How to watch: ESPNU
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 QB: RJ Johnson III named starter vs Howard Bison
