It’s still early, but James Colzie III likes who his second Florida A&M football team is shaping up to be.
The Rattlers’ head coach proctored his fourth out of 15 spring practices on Friday as his team began incorporating shoulder pads this week.
What stands out to Colzie in FAMU football’s formative days of spring camp is the squad’s quality of players and the healthy mesh of personalities.
“We got some talented guys on the field, and I think we’re a lot closer as a football team right now than we were at this stage last year,” Colzie told the Tallahassee Democrat after Friday’s practice.
“We got some guys who can do some good things once they get the ball in their hands. And we got some guys on defense flying around and adjusting to some of the new schemes that we’re running.”
Talent isn’t everything, however.
Colzie is urging his team to play cohesive and heady football, which was his pre-practice message to his team on Friday.
Colzie spoke of the FAMU being plagued with unsportsmanlike penalties in 2024, a season that saw them finish with a 7-5 record. The Rattlers were the 11th most penalized team in the nation last year, losing 73 yards per game from flags.
“I just think that as a football team and the veterans that we have, we just have to learn from past mistakes. We can’t repeat those. Sometimes those mistakes were small, but at times, they were big and cost us drives, points, and ultimately football games,” Colzie explained.
“If we can learn from some of the undisciplined things we did last year, that will help us as a football team,” Colzie later added.
Rattlers running back Thad Franklin Jr. says he and his FAMU football teammates are absorbing Colzie’s lessons.
They know they’re good players.
But directing their energy correctly will increase the Rattlers’ chances of competing for a Black College Football National Championship and ascending on the Football Championship Subdivision rankings when the regular season begins in August.
“I like what I’ve been seeing. We’re way better and talented than last year,” said Franklin, the single-game rushing yard record holder (195) for the Florida Classic. “We’re just working on being disciplined now because that hurt us last year.”
‘We’re where I want to be’: FAMU football finishes first two weeks of spring camp
FAMU has completed its second week of spring football camp.
Next week, the Rattlers will practice on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.
Thursday will be FAMU’s first of three spring scrimmages.
It’s an opportunity for players to respond to game-like settings under promoted offensive coordinator Henry Burris, first-year special teams coordinator Kevin Weston, and a modified defensive staff.
“Our guys are learning the new things on the offense and defensive side ― not necessarily schematically, but new coaching styles,” Colzie said. “We’re where I want to be and steadily improving daily.”
Spring camp success hinges on how well the Rattlers practice, with three and a half weeks left until the final meeting on Wednesday, April 16.
FAMU’s Orange and Green Spring Game is on Saturday, April 12, at 4 p.m., on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
“Just come every day ready to practice and give 100 percent effort,” Franklin said. “That’s all [Colzie] asks from us. As long we do that, he takes care of us.”
Florida A&M Football Remaining Spring Practice Schedule
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Tuesday, March 25
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Thursday, March 27 ― Scrimmage
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Friday, March 28
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Tuesday, April 1
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Thursday, April 3 ― Scrimmage
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Friday, April 4
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Tuesday, April 8
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Thursday, April 10
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Saturday, April 12 ― Orange and Green Spring Game
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Monday, April 14
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Wednesday, April 16
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, James Colzie correcting past mishaps during 2025 spring camp
