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| Embattled FAMU AD Tiffani-Dawn Sykes |
FAMU Athletic Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes yesterday, told the FAMU Board of Trustees, during a special meeting of the board, that she plans to use a search firm to assist with finding the university’s next football coach.
Sykes said she wants a coach to be named before National Signing Day on Feb. 7 as the school looks to replace Willie Simmons, who resigned to take a position as running back coach at Duke on Jan. 1.
In addition, the board passed a motion requiring university President Dr. Larry Robinson to form a search committee that includes the university affinity groups and stakeholders with the goal of fostering the communication and collaboration which was absent from Sykes’ initial search efforts in which she only spoke to two candidates.
Sykes has come under fire it became public that she had intended to recommended Fort Valley State head coach Shawn Gibbs for the job.
The fallout was immediate and quick and led to FAMU National Alumni Association voting no confidence Gibbs becoming the team’s next head coach and in Sykes’ ability to lead the athletic department.
Three FAMU football players — quarterback Junior Muratovic, tight end Jeremiah Pruitte, and offensive lineman Jalen Goss — spoke during the meeting and implored university leaders to make a decision on a coach to maintain continuity within the football program.
“Every day that we don’t have a coach, we’re falling behind our competition,” Goss said. “With this whole coaching situation, we plan to keep what we have to run it back and bring back the national championship. To do that, we need a coach that will keep our (current) assistant coaches.”
FAMU interim head coach James Colzie III and former assistant head coach and defensive backs coach Billy Rolle is the preferred candidate by the players and some alumni groups. Sykes didn't interview either of them during her initial search.