Coach James Colzie III has gotten the first game-like assessment of his 2025 Florida A&M football team.
On Thursday, the Rattlers held their first scrimmage of the spring on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
The session allows Colzie and his staff to know where the team can grow with nine spring practices remaining.
“This was our first scrimmage. Coaches will evaluate and make the appropriate changes,” Colzie told the Tallahassee Democrat. “There will be some depth chart movement because when you play well, you move up. When you don’t play as well, you move down.
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“I’m proud of our guys. It’ll be a good chance for us as a staff to correct what we need to correct.”
FAMU’s offense moves downfield through running, opportunistic passing
Florida A&M quarterback Tyler Jefferson makes a pass during the Rattlers’ first spring football practice of 2025 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Friday, March 7, 2025.
The FAMU offense didn’t score any touchdown, but the unit showed that it could pick up chunks of yardage.
Rattlers quarterbacks Traven Green, Tyler Jefferson, Bryson Martin, Junior Muratovic, and Roman Purcell got reps under center.
“Offensively, we got to put the ball in the endzone. But being able to move it downfield as crisply as we did, I enjoyed that, and it’s something we’re looking to build on, speed it up, and incorporate more plays,” Jefferson explained.
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FAMU’s offense aims to be predicated on establishing a running game and then opening up the rest of the playbook under the leadership of first-year offensive coordinator Henry Burris ― especially with someone new quarterbacking the Rattlers in 2025.
Florida A&M running back Thad Franklin Jr. goes through drills during the Rattlers’ first spring football practice of 2025 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Friday, March 7, 2025.
FAMU’s rushing leader from last season, Thad Franklin Jr., broke a few good runs on Thursday.
“It’s important. You got a younger and older quarterback working with the ones,” Colzie said. “We’re going to be built on running the ball. That now allows us to throw the football to our skilled receivers.”
Jefferson, a dual-threat lefty, can run the football, too.
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However, running backs like Franklin and Summersett and talented pass catchers such as wide receiver Quan Lee and tight end Koby Gross could help any quarterback settle into the FAMU offense.
“With the running backs we got, I know I don’t have to do as much running,” Jefferson said. “That pretty much comes into play if a play breaks down. The receivers, running backs, and offensive line in front of me make my job much easier.”
FAMU’s defense gets out and run, force negative and drive-stopping plays
As mentioned, the FAMU defense forced a turnover and allowed no scores on Thursday.
And Colzie says the Rattlers did so while missing a few defensive linemen, a starting cornerback, and a linebacker.
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The second-year FAMU head coach gave props to linebacker Justice Cross and defensive backs Tequan Latimore, Ah’Mare Lee, and Caleb McKenzie.
“The guys moved around well,” Colzie said. “We’re a very, very fast football team. We just got to make sure we’re going fast in the right direction.”
FAMU defensive lineman Davion Westmoreland disrupted the offense, breaking up run plays with tackles for loss. Westmoreland led the Rattlers with eight tackles for loss in 2024.
“I just want to show the guys that’s what we got to have every play,” Westmoreland said. “We’re coming in, working, getting better, and keeping going. It’s about the next play.”
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Westmoreland credits communication and cohesion for Thursday’s defensive performance.
“The coaches prepared us well ― communicating and playing together. It helped us out a lot today,” Westmoreland said.
FAMU football’s to ‘work harder on discipline’ after first spring 2025 scrimmage
Florida A&M head coach James Colzie III looks on during the Rattlers’ first spring football practice of 2025 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Friday, March 7, 2025.
Competition spirit rung through FAMU football’s first scrimmage.
But the Rattlers want to ensure they’re directing their energy healthily throughout games to avoid post-play penalties.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Westmoreland said. “We can’t waste plays on fighting. Just get up, keep going, and get them between the lines.”
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The Rattlers will emphasize self-restraint in spring camp. FAMU football will meet for its seventh practice on Friday.
“Once you get out here and it’s more of a game-like situation, sometimes emotions will boil over a little bit. But those are things we can’t have happen,” Colzie said. “We got to continue to work harder on our discipline.”
Florida A&M Football Remaining Spring Practice Schedule
Florida A&M tight end Koby Gross goes through drills during the Rattlers’ first spring football practice of 2025 on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida, Friday, March 7, 2025.
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Thursday, April 3 ― Scrimmage
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Saturday, April 12 ― Orange and Green Spring Game
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 takeaways: What happened at the spring 2025’s 1st scrimmage
