It was a special day for Florida A&M University football, as it was the university’s national signing day. There was a total of 16 student-athletes who signed their letter of intent and will be playing for Rattlers this upcoming season.
The one sentiment that FAMU Head Coach Willie Simmons echoed after the season was that they were going to spend the offseason dedicated towards recruiting.
One of the biggest names the Rattlers landed during the midseason was transfer Quarterback John Holcombe ll, who originally played for Kanas State University.
The Rattlers were also able to land multiple 3-star recruits such as, Tevin Griffey (son of former baseball player and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.), offensive lineman Evan Webster, offensive lineman Kendarius Cunningham, Defensive back Benjamin Onwuzo, and many more.
Coming off a season where FAMU boasted a 9-2 record and a solid recruiting class going into next season, Coach Simmons credits the recent success from his team’s play on the field and the overall production from his coaching staff.
“I think it’s a combination of things, (for) one I think the FAMU name is very strong (along with) the success we have on the football field,” Simmons said.
“Winning nine games definitely doesn’t hurt and then the work that goes into it, our assistant coaches have done a phenomenal job of identifying quality student-athletes,” Simmons added.
Simmons also expressed his thoughts on the recruits coming in this year and what to expect out of them during their time at FAMU.
“We feel like we have a lot of guys who could in and have an immediate impact but we’re more so looking forward to seeing these guys grow and develop over the next 2-4 years,” Simmons stated.
One key name to look out for in the 2020-2021 however, will be Dawson, Ga. native Tray Bishop. Bishop is a defensive back, who previously made pit stops at the University of Georgia, transferred to Navarro College, and will now don the colors of orange and green.
Director of Athletic Communications Brian Howard expressed his thoughts on the recruiting class this year.
“I would give this recruiting class an “A” grade, especially on the way they addressed the situation at quarterback,” Howard said. “With Ryan Stanley leaving, you get a Kanas State transfer coming in, and now we’ve gotten a defensive guy from Wake Forest and a offensive lineman from Mississippi Gulf Coast University, so the fact that the coaching staff was able to address these different areas of personnel needs is what stands out the most,” Howard added.
As the Rattlers look to continue to build off of last year’s success, fans will be able to catch a glimpse of the newly touted recruits in this year’s Orange and Green game on Saturday March 28 at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
