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Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
FAMU football 2025 schedule: 5 biggest tests for the Rattlers this season
Florida A&M football will face one of its most challenging schedules in recent years. The Rattlers' 12-game regular season schedule features top HBCU football teams, the defending Black College National Champions, and other heated rivals. The 2025 season kicks off when second-year head coach James Colzie III's Rattlers take on the Howard Bison at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium for the Orange Blossom Classic on Saturday, Aug. 30. If FAMU football prevails in the crucial contests 2025 presents, it could prime the program for a run at the Southwestern Athletic Conference and Celebration Bowl this December or even the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. Let's look at FAMU's most pivotal games this fall. Week 1: vs. Howard (in Miami), Aug. 30 Week 1's Orange Blossom Classic is a rematch of the 2023 Celebration Bowl, when FAMU, of the SWAC, defeated the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's Howard 30-26 to claim the Black College Football National Championship. However, this year's Rattlers versus Bison matchup is far from its previous HBCU title game meeting. It's a game where Colzie can have his first look at his second FAMU team and his offseason recruiting efforts while playing against one of HBCU's household names. The Rattlers' quarterback battle could be settled in the season opener as FAMU has welcomed a handful of signal callers, such as Tyler Jefferson, RJ Johnson III, Jett Peddy, and others. Week 5: vs Alabama State, Sept. 27 FAMU football opens its SWAC schedule with a Week 5 home duel versus Alabama State. And when the Rattlers and Hornets meet, it's typically a competitive game. Last year, FAMU spoiled Alabama State's homecoming 28-13. FAMU will likely be placed in a late-game situation versus Alabama State, where it will find out how it reacts in a down-to-the-wire situation. The Alabama State defense could also be FAMU's offense's biggest test, as the Hornets generally have one of the best units in the FCS. Week 7: vs North Carolina Central, Oct. 11 Taking a quick break from SWAC play, FAMU will have an HBCU football blueblood and former MEAC foe, North Carolina Central, in town. NCCU has been one of Black College Football's top teams in recent years. The Eagles won the 2023 Celebration Bowl and appeared in the 2024 FCS playoffs. Last season, the NCCU Eagles were one win shy from representing the MEAC in the Celebration Bowl, losing out on the opportunity to South Carolina State. The Rattlers and Eagles haven't met since 2019. FAMU won that game 28-21. And in 2025, after a six-year matchup hiatus, FAMU football has a chance to score a signature victory over one of HBCU's best. And to make the FAMU versus NCCU even spicier, the Rattlers' co-offensive coordinator Cedric Williams and running backs coach Kevin Maurice were previously on the Eagles staff before joining the Rattlers this offseason. Week 9: at Southern, Oct 25 FAMU versus Southern. One of HBCU football's best rivalries. The Rattlers will head to Baton Rouge to battle the Jaguars this time. And FAMU will be fresh off its homecoming game versus Alcorn State the previous week. FAMU defeated Southern 24-6 last season, but the final score didn't dictate how close the game was. In recent FAMU versus Southern games, the Rattlers have scraped by the Jaguars. The last time FAMU traveled to Southern, the Rattlers outlasted the Jaguars 26-19 in a back-and-forth game. Southern is the defending SWAC West division champion. A win for FAMU could mean well for its chase for a SWAC and HBCU title. Week 10: vs Jackson State, Nov. 1 FAMU versus Jackson State can make or break a season. Since joining the SWAC in 2021, the winner of FAMU versus JSU has moved on to represent the SWAC in the Celebration Bowl. The Rattlers are 1-3 versus the Tigers since realigning to the SWAC, most recently losing at the JSU Tigers 35-21 last season. After defeating FAMU in 2024, JSU claimed the SWAC and Black College National Championship. If history is an indicator, FAMU trouncing the defending HBCU champions and brewing rivals could have the Rattlers on track to play in December's SWAC Championship game and Celebration Bowl. Florida A&M Football 2025 Schedule Week 1: Saturday, Aug. 30 ― vs. Howard (Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium), 4 p.m., ESPNU Week 2: Saturday, Sept. 6 ― at Florida Atlantic, 6 p.m., ESPN Plus Week 3: Saturday, Sept. 13 ― vs. Albany State, 7 p.m. Week 4: BYE/OPEN WEEK Week 5: Saturday, Sept. 27 ― vs. Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m. Week 6: Saturday, Oct. 4 ― vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC/at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 4 p.m. Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central, 3 p.m. Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming), 4 p.m. Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC) Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC), 7 p.m. Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), 3 p.m. Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC), 3 p.m. Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando's Camping World Stadium) Saturday, Nov. 29 ― NCAA FCS Playoffs Begin (If Necessary) Saturday, Dec. 6 ― SWAC Championship Game (If Necessary) Saturday, Dec. 13 ― Celebration Bowl at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (If Necessary) Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 ― NCAA FCS National Championship Game at Nashville's FirstBank Stadium (If Necessary)This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football 2025 schedule: 5 biggest challenges ahead for Rattlers
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
FAMU football's most intriguing position battles entering training camp for 2025 season
Florida A&M football will open preseason training camp on Friday, Aug. 1. The Rattlers will open the month practicing for their season opener versus the Howard Bison in the Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 30. Training camp will play a significant role in who will be a part of the first 11 on offense and defense at the season opener. Here are the positions that could be up for grabs and what players could be in contention to secure a spot atop the Rattlers' depth chart. Quarterback FAMU's quarterback situation is one of HBCU football's hottest topics this offseason. The Rattlers enter training camp with five quarterbacks, all with college football experience. Tyler Jefferson transferred from Central Michigan, RJ Johnson III joined FAMU from Toledo, while Jett Peddy is from California's Long Beach City College. Traven Green and Bryson Martin are holdovers from last year's FAMU roster. The Rattlers also landed former Florida Gators reserve quarterback Lawrence Wright IV this summer. However, he's listed as an athlete. Jefferson and Peddy have the most in-game experience. Last year at Central Michigan, the left-handed dual-threat Jefferson completed 27 of 58 passes for 286 yards and rushed for 233 yards on 43 attempts. He started three games. As Long Beach City College's full-time starter, Peddy had 220 completions on 339 attempts for 2,706 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions. The remaining FAMU quarterbacks have received minimal or no game reps. Wide Receiver 'Who's your X?' is often asked when determining a team's top receiver. FAMU has viable options for WR1 treatment, led by A'Ceon Cobb and Goldie Lawrence, who were both productive last season. Cobb had 12 receptions for 250 yards and four touchdowns before going down with an injury after nine games. He was leading the Rattlers in receiving touchdowns at the time of his injury. Lawrence caught 21 passes for 251 yards and scored a touchdown during the 2024 season. Other names for FAMU's receivers are Marquez Bell and Illinois transfer Kenari Wilcher. Defensive End Who will hold down the edge opposite the Rattlers' Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason First Team defensive end Davion Westmoreland? Of returning players, it could be Antonio Camon or James Gardner Jr. Camon was a reserve during the 2024 season, but showed promise this spring. Gardner had 36 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks last year. FAMU also brought numerous transfers for the defensive line, such as Adeon Farmer (Fort Valley State), Daryl Jones (Virginia), Jahon Myers (Kennesaw State), and Xavier Perkins (Florida State). Myers and Farmer played most at their previous stops out of FAMU's transfers. Myers' Kennesaw career stats are 46 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and one forced fumble in three seasons. Farmer, on the NCAA Division II level at Fort Valley, collected 101 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries in three years. Cornerback FAMU had two preseason All-SWAC selections for cornerbacks: TJ Huggins and Jameel Sanders. Huggins made the first team while Sanders got a second team nod. However, FAMU head coach James Colzie III, who also coaches the cornerbacks, said there's constant competition within the group at SWAC Media Day two weeks ago. Justin Bostic got some run with the starting defense in games last year. Simion Hines, too. Both will be back for the Rattlers this season. Transfer defensive backs who could play one of the cornerback spots are Jayden Bradford (Florida State), Daylyn Ditson (East Carolina), and Caleb McKenzie (South Dakota). Of the trio, Bradford got the most playing time with his former team, posting stats of 38 tackles and five pass deflections in two seasons. Another FAMU defensive back who could break the starting lineup is Jordan Cumberbatch, a veteran with the Rattlers since 2022. Kicker The Rattlers will have a new kicker this year. FAMU's roster includes Emilio Bacardi, Cooper Badics, and Andrew Abu-Akel. Bacardi comes from the high school level at Lake Mary, while Badics transferred from Edward Waters, and Abu-Akel comes from Western Michigan. Gabriel Perez from Florida International and Daniel Porto, a Holy Cross transfer, committed to the Rattlers this summer. Both haven't been updated to FAMU's official roster just yet. Badics has previous college experience, making nine field goals on 15 attempts last year, with his longest being 42 yards at Edward Waters. Porto made 13 of 17 field goal attempts last season and made Holy Cross' longest field goal in program history of 53 yards. Florida A&M Football 2025 Schedule Week 1: Saturday, Aug. 30 ― vs. Howard (Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium), 4 p.m., ESPNU Week 2: Saturday, Sept. 6 ― at Florida Atlantic, 6 p.m., ESPN Plus Week 3: Saturday, Sept. 13 ― vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV Week 4: BYE/OPEN WEEK Week 5: Saturday, Sept. 27 ― vs. Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO Week 6: Saturday, Oct. 4 ― vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC/at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium), 4 p.m., SWAC TV Week 7: Saturday, Oct. 11 ― vs. North Carolina Central, 3 p.m., HBCU GO Week 8: Saturday, Oct. 18 ― vs. Alcorn State (SWAC/Homecoming), 4 p.m., ESPN Plus Week 9: Saturday, Oct. 25 ― at Southern (SWAC), 5 p.m., SWAC TV Week 10: Saturday, Nov. 1 ― vs. Jackson State (SWAC), 7 p.m., ESPN Network Week 11: Saturday, Nov. 8 ― at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO Week 12: Saturday, Nov. 15 ― at Alabama A&M (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV Week 13: Saturday, Nov. 22 ― vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic at Orlando's Camping World Stadium) Saturday, Nov. 29 ― NCAA FCS Playoffs Begin (If Necessary) Saturday, Dec. 6 ― SWAC Championship Game (If Necessary) Saturday, Dec. 13 ― Celebration Bowl at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium (If Necessary) Monday, Jan. 5, 2026 ― NCAA FCS National Championship Game at Nashville's FirstBank Stadium (If Necessary)This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football's QB competition to lead training camp position battles
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
HBCU Honored With Exclusive Player Edition Jordan
HBCU Honored With Exclusive Player Edition Jordan originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Jordan Brand has rolled out a truly impressive Player Edition Jordan 4 made specifically for the Bison basketball team. This player edition model represents a few current Nike staples that have performed very well in recent memory. Namely, dark tones of the same color with a white sole and white laces, along with gold trim. The decision to utilize the Jordan 4 would be enough to move the needle, but the colorway treatment applied ensures consumer envy. Advertisement Player Editions are exactly what that implies. A model and colorway made exclusively for players that will not be made available to a wide consumer release. Virtually any PE typically creates a huge demand and an even higher resale value that most any wide release could hope for. View the 9 images of this gallery on the original article Due to such a low volume of pairs that will be circulated within the Howard University program, the Howard Jordan 4 PE could fetch a significant markup down the road when any pairs surface. The design itself needs no real explanation if set within a wide consumer release. The white outsole, white laces, paired with a dark upper that is 3 different shades of navy blue, with gold logos and a specialty 'Howard Bison' gold tag to replace the typical Nike tag sells itself. However, there has been some concern voiced by the Howard University fanbase suggesting the design is more understated than it should've been. Claiming there could have been more done to highlight the culture of Howard University. Advertisement While the two-tone navy blue does fit with the program's logo branding, the absence of red beyond being hidden on the underside of the tongue is noteworthy. Many PE's over the years have had heel logos, tongue logos or even specialty insoles that allow for more freedom with logos and messaging. A logo, whether readily seen or strategically hidden involving some details that are specific to Howard University or HBCUs in general would have been an interesting tribute. Related: NBA legend and HBCU trailblazer dies at 88 While this Howard University PE shoe would sell out in under a couple minutes if set as a wide consumer release, it is and will only be exclusive to players and staffers within the Howard University Basketball program. This exclusive Howard release has been widely reported as 'Spring 2025' and most likely intended for the 2025-26 College Basketball season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
24-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How to watch Charleston (SC) vs. Howard in women's NIT basketball: Time, TV channel, streaming March 24
How to watch Charleston (SC) vs. Howard in women's NIT basketball: Time, TV channel, streaming March 24 The Charleston (SC) Cougars (24-7) square off against the Howard Bison (22-11) on March 24, 2025. In its last time out, Charleston (SC) lost 80-59 to Campbell on Saturday. In its most recent matchup on Friday, Howard claimed a 72-62 win against Siena. Taryn Barbot's team-high 26 points paced Charleston (SC) in the loss. Zennia Thomas totaled 19 points, seven rebounds and one assist for Howard. Charleston (SC) vs. Howard TV channel Location: TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina Date: Monday, March 24, 2025 Monday, March 24, 2025 Time: 7 p.m. ET What time is Charleston (SC) vs. Howard basketball today? Charleston (SC) and Howard hit the court at 7 p.m. ET. Watch women's college basketball with Fubo Charleston (SC) has seen an increase in scoring lately, racking up 80.6 points per game in its last 10 contests, 5.7 points more than the 74.9 it has scored this year. In its previous 10 games, Howard is putting up 70.3 points per game, 4.3 more than its season average (66.0). Charleston (SC) Cougars basketball schedule Howard Bison basketball schedule Watch women's college basketball with Fubo
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Charleston (SC) plays Howard in NIT matchup
Howard Bison (22-11, 14-3 MEAC) at Charleston (SC) Cougars (24-7, 15-5 CAA) Charleston, South Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Charleston (SC) and Howard meet in the National Invitation Tournament. The Cougars' record in CAA games is 15-5, and their record is 9-2 against non-conference opponents. Charleston (SC) averages 12.8 turnovers per game and is 23-7 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents. The Bison's record in MEAC games is 14-3. Howard ranks third in the MEAC with 12.4 assists per game led by Saniyah King averaging 4.5. Charleston (SC) averages 7.3 made 3-pointers per game, 1.3 more made shots than the 6.0 per game Howard allows. Howard has shot at a 38.6% clip from the field this season, 0.4 percentage points above the 38.2% shooting opponents of Charleston (SC) have averaged. TOP PERFORMERS: Lara Rohkohl is averaging 10.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 steals and two blocks for the Cougars. Taryn Barbot is averaging 3.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. Zennia Thomas is averaging 11.9 points and 7.2 rebounds for the Bison. Destiny Howell is averaging 15.5 points over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Cougars: 9-1, averaging 80.6 points, 36.1 rebounds, 15.8 assists, 12.0 steals and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 59.9 points per game. Bison: 8-2, averaging 70.3 points, 36.3 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 8.9 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 39.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 56.8 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
