As FAMU’s football program reels from a postseason ban imposed by the NCAA for failing to meet academic progress standards, another team on campus — the baseball Rattlers — is offering a different model of success, one built as much on grade-point averages as on earned-run averages.
The football team’s penalty, which will keep it out of the 2026 postseason, has cast a harsh light on the challenges some athletic programs face in balancing sport and scholarship. But in the shadow of that setback, Jamey Shouppe, the head baseball coach, has quietly built a program where academic achievement is not an afterthought, but a core part of the team’s identity.
While speaking at the Eddie Jackson 220 QB, a group of FAMU athletics supporters, Shouppe was asked pointedly about his program’s academic standing amid broader concerns about athlete education at the university. His response was both proud and philosophical.
“Winning does not occur in life unless you have a degree and an academic foundation,” Shouppe said. “Unfortunately, at any university — not just FAMU — you hear the bad side of things that happen with student-athletes, not always the good side.”
For Shouppe, that “good side” is embodied in his players. His team has maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher for several consecutive years, a streak of classroom excellence that has drawn little public fanfare but stands as a rebuttal to the notion that athletic success must come at the expense of academics.
His comments underscore a tension familiar at many universities, where the spotlight often falls on teams that stumble academically, while those that excel, like Shouppe’s, operate with little recognition.
Shouppe, who had a brief professional baseball career, spoke with the conviction of someone who has lived the transition from athlete to professional. He emphasized that for most college players, a degree — not a pro contract — will define their future.
“The profession you choose in college with your degree will determine what your future is in the winning aspect,” he said, “so that the winning aspect can continue not only for you but for your family as well.”
Shouppe’s philosophy is clear: academic discipline is the foundation of lifelong success. “This world treats winners differently than it does losers,” he noted. “Training starts academically to prepare yourself… The profession you choose in college with your degree will determine what your future is.”
His words resonate deeply with his players, who understands that their coaches mission has always extended beyond athletics—emphasizing education as a vehicle for generational advancement.
The baseball team’s success hasn’t come at the expense of on-field performance, either. The Rattlers are enjoying a strong season, in a 3-way tie for first place in the SWAC, with Shouppe confidently adding, “Hopefully after this semester we’ll be able to say the same thing,” in reference to the team’s academic standing.
As the university addresses the football program’s academic shortfalls, Shouppe’s model offers a blueprint: that winning cultures are built not only in weight rooms and film sessions, but in study halls and academic advising meetings.
For now, as the baseball Rattlers eye another championship run—both on the field and in the classroom—the message from their coach is unmistakable: True victory lasts long after the final out.
great article. bottom line: coaches have to prioritize academics as well as on field success. It doesn't appear Willie Simmons prioritized going to class or performing in that classroom when he was here.
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