'Not being heard': FAMU football players meet with president on coaching search

Florida A&M University football players, pointing to the program's winning culture, continue to push for administrators to look within when it comes to hiring the team's permanent head coach.

The Tallahassee Democrat has learned the team's leadership council met with FAMU President Larry Robinson Wednesday morning for nearly an hour to voice their concerns over the university's coaching search to replace Willie Simmons and advocate for assistant coach James Colzie.

FAMU Vice President and Athletics Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes, who is directing the search for a new coach, has reportedly identified Shawn Gibbs of Division II Fort Valley State as her top candidate.

Simmons resigned Jan. 1 after six seasons to become the running backs coach at Power 5 Conference Duke.

The group of six players also shared their thoughts on the process Wednesday afternoon with the sports editor at the Tallahassee Democrat's office. Additionally, players sent a letter Wednesday evening to FAMU Student Body President & University Student Trustee Londe Mondelus, asking for her support.

"It is absolutely nonsensical that none of the members of our championship coaching staff have been interviewed to replace Coach Simmons," players said in the letter.

"We have publicly endorsed James Colzie, our assistant head coach, to replace Coach Simmons and continue the trajectory of our current program. .... We implore you to visit Coach Colzie and have him share with you personally his vision for Rattler Football."

Players also previously met in-person last week with Sykes to discuss the coaching search and voice their support for Colzie. They said neither Sykes nor Robinson appeared "receptive" to their concerns and felt "their voices were not being heard."

FAMU football at a crossroads as players, alumni speak out

A month after winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference title and HBCU National Championship with a victory over Howard in the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta, FAMU football is at a crossroads following Simmons' departure.

Wednesday was a whirlwind, emotional day for FAMU supporters, alumni and fans.

FAMU Boosters, Inc., sent a letter to Robinson asking he suspend the search for a new football coach, saying, the school's major stakeholders have been "shut out and completely left out of the room."

The FAMU National Alumni Association, in an emergency meeting, returned votes of "no confidence" in Gibbs and the leadership of Sykes. This comes on the heels of the association raising over $140,000 to go toward coaches salaries and bonuses at the request of Sykes.

Players are especially upset over a narrative the football program might not be in good standing academically, pointing to its improved Academic Progress Rate and cumulative grade-point average (2.53) last fall.

Players pointed to steps implemented by Simmons and his staff, specifically Colzie, to ensure academic success, and stressed Simmons' encouragement for players to advocate for change where needed. In their meeting with the Democrat, players also praised the commitment of athletic academic advisor Carrie Hickey Tollison, who primarily oversees football and men's and women's basketball.

Simmons in a tweet following his resignation showcased his team's academic accomplishments in 2023. He said over 20 players graduated last year; the team had "zero" ineligible players during the season; and the program's single year APR score was 950. Teams below 930 could be subject to NCAA improvement reviews.

"To even imply the (culture) of the program needs to be rebuilt is completely wrong," members of the leadership council told the Democrat.

In their letter, players also pointed to their roles within the university as student athletes, writing, "Are we flawless? Absolutely not. However, our success on the field, in the classroom and in the community compares favorably to the vast majority of football programs in this country."

The FAMU Board of Trustees has scheduled a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 16, where it is expected to discuss the coaching search and Sykes’ decisions during her year-long tenure.

Players also requested to Mondelus that she vote against the hiring of Gibbs, writing, "After reviewing his professional credentials, there is nothing that indicates that Coach Gibbs is capable of returning us to a championship level of play."

Gibbs, who played football (1993-97) at North Carolina Central University, is 16-5 in two seasons at the small Georgia school and previously spent 19 years as an assistant coach at the HBCU level, mainly in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Fort Valley State went 8-3 in 2023, beating Johnson C. Smith 23-10 in the inaugural Florida Beach Bowl in Ft. Lauderdale last month.

Attempts to reach Gibbs for comment have been unsuccessful.

Letter from FAMU football players to the student government president

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football players meet with president amid coach search turmoil