Florida A&M Football welcomed three new coaches to its ranks.
After being hired as the Rattlers’ 19th full-time head coach in January, James Colzie III has filled needed gaps for his inaugural staff.
Colzie hired Henry Burris as the Rattlers’ quarterbacks coach,[…] Casey Walker Sr. as defensive line coach, and Andrew Papa as a defensive coach.
Colzie, while coaching in Canada from 2015 to 2021, met Canadian Football Hall of Famer Burris. Pope played for Colzie while the Rattlers’ current coach was defensive coordinator at NCAA Division II power West Georgia. Walker, who played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners and in the NFL, he attracted Colzie’s attention with his background.
“Three different guys that had a different impact on my life,” Colzie said of his new assistants after the Rattlers’ 10th preseason practice of training camp.
“Great additions to what we are trying to do here at Florida A&M. I hope I can keep them a little longer.”
Colzie described Burris as a “hot name” because of his football hall of fame career at Temple University and in Canada.
Burris played professionally for 19 years, won three Gray Cups and two CFL Most Outstanding Player Awards to add to a record-setting college football career. He has also coached at the NFL level, most recently as the Los Angeles Rams’ 2023 training camp tight ends coach.
However, Burris considers his job leading FAMU’s quarterbacks a “dream come true.” Your eldest son, Armandis a freshman wide receiver for the Rattlers.
“The timing couldn’t be better. It’s a blessing to be here as a father, to watch your son grow and impact young people,” Burris said.
“This is all I ever wanted. I have the opportunity to show these young men that if I could go back and do it all over again, this is how I would do it to maximize their opportunities on and off the field.”
New FAMU football assistant coaches want to support Rattlers’ success
Burris enters his first year as FAMU’s quarterbacks coach with a huge responsibility.
He will play a major role in the Rattlers coaches’ decision on who will start at quarterback in the season-opening MEAC/SWAC Challenge against Norfolk State on Aug. 24 in Atlanta.
It’s a two-man race for the job between Junior Muratovic and Daniel Richardson. Whoever is named starter will succeed 2023 Deacon Jones Trophy co-winner Jeremy Moussa, who graduated.
“It’s part of the position. You love watching guys battle,” Burris said.
“With Moussa leaving after leading the team to a national championship, it will be a big shoes to fill. We have some guys who are up to the challenge. These guys are fighting and fulfilling their roles.”
After playing at Oklahoma, Walker played professionally for the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills. Walker was a member of the Patriots’ Super Bowl 49 team that defeated the Seattle Seahawks.
Walker, Louisiana Tech’s 2022 defensive line coach, brings Football Bowl Subdivision and NFL knowledge to The High of Seven Hills to help the Rattlers remain one of the best defenses in the country. He says FAMU defensive linemen James Ash and Allen Smith Jr. have impressed in their team’s first 10 preseason practices.
“I just like playing fundamental football. If we can play with good technique, the stats and all that will come with it,” Walker said.
“So I give them little nuggets that I learned along the way. That kind of experience that I bring helps, it’s going to help where they see things in a different light.”
Pope arrives at FAMU from State of Alabama.
And he knows a thing or two about dominant defenses.
In 2023, the Hornets finished third in total defense of the football championship subdivision. They were one spot behind the second-place Rattlers.
Pope’s main takeaway from his defenses is depth, which can help them mix up personnel.
“Different philosophy, but the same motto. It lights up the defense,” Pope said.
“I’m a ‘DOGS Only’ guy. We will be disruptive and obedient at the same time. And then let’s grind. This is the courage in us. We’re just picking up where we left off last year – without breaking tradition. I’m here so that the cart doesn’t fail at the bottom and we can keep moving.
“Same mean mentality, just a slightly different sauce added to the wings.”
New FAMU football assistants helping first-year coach James Colzie III set the standard
Colzie is leaving his mark on the FAMU football program.
What Burris observed was Colzie pushing for the Rattlers to be a player-led team. This approach could see FAMU remain the national champion of Black College Football.
“It’s all about establishing that culture. I’m making sure to implement the pattern [Colzie] sets and convey that message to our players,” said Burris.
“Coach Colzie wants to empower our players – let them know this is their team. He did a masterful job of winning over the locker room, getting the guys to follow suit and setting a path that will take us in that direction to fight for a SWAC championship and fight for a Celebration Bowl.”
Colzie feels he made the right decision in signing Burris, Walker and Pope to his first FAMU team. FAMU’s new coaching trio has embraced FAMU’s football culture as the halfway point of training camp approaches.
“We talked about culture, expectations and standards. Those were easy sells, especially with the experience they are bringing,” Colzie said.
“Three guys who bring a lot of experience and knowledge. Overall, they’re really, really good guys.”
The Rattlers will have their 11th training camp practice on Wednesday.
Florida A&M Rattlers 2024 Football Schedule
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August 24 vs. Norfolk State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, Atlanta* at 7:30 p.m., ABC
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August 31 vs. South Carolina State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
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September 7th in Miami, 6pm, ACC Network
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September 21 in Troy, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+
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Sept. 28 vs. Alabama A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN+
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Oct. 5 at Alabama State, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+
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Oct. 19 at Jackson State, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Network
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Oct. 26 vs. Southern, 7 p.m., ESPN Network
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Nov. 2 vs. Texas Southern (HOMECOMING), 4 p.m., ESPN+
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Nov. 9 at Prairie View A&M, 3 p.m. ET, ESPN+
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Nov. 16 vs. Mississippi Valley State, 1 p.m., HBCU GO
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Nov. 23 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Florida Classic, Orlando*, 3:30 p.m., ESPN Network
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November 30: FCS playoffs begin
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December 7: SWAC Championship, LOCATION/TEAMS TBA, ESPN2
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December 14: Celebration Bowl, Atlanta*, TEAMS TBA, 12 p.m., ABC
BLACK = SWAC
* = Neutral Location
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Reach him by email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared in the Tallahassee Democrat: Meet FAMU’s New Assistant Coaches as They Navigate First Camp
