The dysfunction that led FAMU football astray—and why its next move must be smarter

We wanted a players’ coach. We got one.

We wanted continuity. We got  a collapse.

We wanted to keep the Willie Simmons machine humming. Instead, the wheels came off — loudly, publicly, and against the worst team in the conference. Twice.

Now, after a 5–7 season that felt even worse than the record suggests, We are stuck in a nightmare of our own making: stuck with a coach we wish we never backed, stuck with a fanbase that appears headed down the same rabbit hole, and stuck with the bill for a decision that felt good in the moment but looks worse with every passing week.

James Colzie III wasn’t hired because he was the most qualified. The push for Colzie wasn’t organic; it was orchestrated by a "volunteer coach" whose constant presence around the program has become a cancer.  According to sources, this person had players sign blank pieces of paper later attached to a letter of support for Colzie. The campaign created a powerful, if manufactured, illusion: the team was united behind the junior defensive backs coach.

The scheme worked. Colzie, who prior to FAMU compiled a 23-19 record at Saint Mary’s University in Canada, was named head coach. He was not the defensive coordinator. He was not the most qualified candidate on paper. But he was the players' favorite, the choice of influential alumni . The past administration, seeking to preserve the momentum built by Simmons, opted for continuity over a search for a proven winner.

Colzie appeared to be the familiar insider.

But sentiment doesn’t win football games. Preparation does. Development does. And in his first two seasons, Colzie and his staff were out-schemed, out-adjusted, and out-toughed — especially when it mattered most.

The low point? A second straight loss to Mississippi Valley State, a team that won just one other game all season. The Rattlers didn’t just lose; they looked unprepared, undisciplined, and at times, uninspired.

Now, the same voices that chanted his name are calling for his job. But here’s the problem: shouting on Twitter and on facebook doesn’t pay buyouts. Colzie still has roughly $250,000 left on his contract. And unlike in when Rattler fans raised nearly $150,000 in two days to try to keep Simmons — there’s no wave of cash rolling in to fund a change.

So FAMU sits. And waits. And wonders.

Complicating everything is the Next Big Thing already trending online: a Division II coach who is 12–1 this year after two seasons going 6-5. Sound familiar? It should. This is how it always starts — a shiny new name, a highlight reel, and a fanbase ready to anoint the next savior.

It happened with Earl Holmes. It happened with Ken Riley. And it happened with Colzie.

When will FAMU learn?

The next coach of the Rattlers shouldn’t be chosen because he’s a familiar face, a former player, or a nice story. He shouldn’t be hired because he’s popular in a team meeting or trending in a group chat.

He should be hired because he’s a leader. A CEO. A winner.

He should have a plan for the transfer portal, a vision for recruiting Florida, a plan for graduating his players, improving the team's APR, and a staff ready to develop talent, not just collect it.

Most of all, he should want to be here for the right reasons — not because it’s comfortable, but because it’s a challenge worth taking.

FAMU can’t afford another learning-on-the-job experiment. Not with the SWAC improving. Not with the Celebration Bowl waiting. And certainly not with a fanbase growing more frustrated by the day.

We don’t need a players’ coach. We need a program builder.

The question is, will our new president who has already taken a gamble on a new athletic director be brave enough to hire a great coach, capable of winning at the FCS level — even if it isn’t the popular choice?