Amid losing season, James Colzie points finger everywhere but the mirror

FAMU head football coach James Colzie attempted to offer a masterclass in deflection, during yesterday's Southwestern Athletic Conference football coaches media call. Days after his team’s soul-crushing loss to archrival Bethune-Cookman, a defeat that encapsulated a season of unmet expectations, the Rattlers’ head coach was asked about his future.

His answer was a word salad of excuses, a startling litany of blame placed on every conceivable external factor—except, notably, his own coaching.

“Next year, I haven’t had any conversations about that,” Colzie began, before quickly pivoting. “You know, obviously it’s the president and new AD’s call.”

What followed was a breathtaking evasion of accountability. Colzie, whose team sits at a mediocre 5-6/4-3 SWAC proceeded to itemize a wish list of institutional support he suggested was lacking at FAMU from NIL money, and everything involving student athlete support such as nutrition, staffing, and facilities. 

Colzie noted that other successful programs often enjoy stability at the administrative level and consistent resource allocation, while universities that experience turnover or funding challenges struggle to compete.

You look at teams playing for championships, they probably haven't gone through a couple of presidents or athletic directors. It's not just about showing up to play on Saturday -- it's about full investment in the program, Colzie added. 

There’s just one problem: the facts, when examined, suggest otherwise.

A point-by-point analysis of Colzie’s claims reveals a narrative detached from reality. Colzie currently has the same number of assistant coaches and just about the same budget as his predecessor, Willie Simmons, who averaged nine wins per season and turned the program into a conference powerhouse. He has the same number of assistant coach as Jackson State University, the current league leader.

The administrative instability he laments? During the tenure of Colzie’s predecessor from 2018 to 2023, FAMU cycled through four different athletic directors—including John Eason, Michael Smith (twice), Korte Goshe and Tiffani-Dawn Sykes.The Rattlers did not lose to Bethune-Cookman because of a deficient nutrition program or a lagging NIL collective, but from a deeper failure of preparation and priority—from a head coach who structured spring training around his softball umpiring schedule.   And, with the game on the line, the Rattler defense could not make a stop, and Colzie was out coached and out-schemed when it mattered most.

Colzie’s performance on Monday, like most of the season, was not that of a leader steering his program through adversity. It was the posture of a man auditing the fire department while his own house is ablaze, citing a lack of water pressure as the flames climb ever higher. The message to Rattler fans was clear: success is contingent on factors beyond the coach’s control. The subtext, however, is far more cynical: the man in charge does not believe he is the one who should be held responsible.

The Rattlers travel to Itta Bena Ms, this Saturday, Nov. 29, to play Mississippi Valley State in a game that was originally scheduled for Oct. 4.