{"id":270138,"date":"2026-05-13T23:39:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T23:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/270138\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T23:39:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T23:39:15","slug":"famu-football-charting-path-for-academic-turnaround-after-ncaa-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/270138\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU football charting path for academic turnaround after NCAA ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether an institutional or student-athlete issue, or both, the fact of the matter is that academics have burned the Florida A&M football program for two decades<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Currently, the Rattlers are under Level Two NCAA sanctions <\/a>that have placed them on a postseason ban for 2026 and outlawed participation in 2027 spring practice<\/a> due to low Academic Progress Rate scores.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe APR news is what it is. We\u2019re not going to harp on that,\u201d head coach Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. told the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club on Wednesday, May 13.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida A&M Rattlers head football coach Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. stands at Galimore-Powell Fieldhouse on campus in Tallahassee, Florida. Gray, a former quarterback for the Rattlers, was named head coach on Dec. 23, 2025. He was previously the head coach of the Albany State Golden Rams.<\/p>\n

Launched in 2004, APR is the NCAA\u2019s real-time metric for tracking the academic eligibility, retention, and graduation of Division I scholarship student-athletes. Teams must score a 930.<\/p>\n

The NCAA hammered the Rattlers for finishing the 2024-2025 athletic and academic year with a 918<\/a>. It was a near-20-point improvement from scoring a 901 in 2023-2024, but not enough to avoid the Level Two restriction.<\/p>\n

Those scores predated Gray\u2019s tenure as head coach<\/a>, as he was hired in December 2025. FAMU\u2019s head football coach in 2023-24 was Willie Simmons<\/a>, and then James Colzie III<\/a> was hired the following year.<\/p>\n

Regardless of who\u2019s coaching, the Rattlers have only finished with the required 930 twice in 19 tries.<\/p>\n

The most recent satisfactory score was in 2018-2019 under Simmons at 931. Head coach Joe Taylor was in place when FAMU scored its program-high 939 in 2008-2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to tolerate over these next few years of being in a situation that we\u2019ve been in before that we\u2019re in now,\u201d said John Davis, in his fourth month as FAMU\u2019s Vice President and Director of Athletics.<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida A&M University held a joint introductory press conference for new head football coach Quinn Gray Sr. and Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Davis at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Academic and compliance plans are being set for FAMU football to right the ship and become eligible to compete for championships in the coming years, Davis says.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me say that we\u2019re excited where we are as it relates to addressing these things,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWhat you have, I can assure you, are individuals who are committed and working with our team to put the necessary pieces in place to control what we can control.\u201d<\/p>\n

FAMU football’s grades rising early in Quinn Gray’s tenure<\/p>\n

Gray and Davis are aligned.<\/p>\n

Not only do they want Rattler football to meet the 930 APR threshold, but they also hope to exceed it. Davis revealed that the internal goal will be 950.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, we\u2019re in line with making sure that we\u2019re over 930. Well over a 930,\u201d Gray added. \u201cWe\u2019re working towards that and not going to necessarily worry about what happened in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

FAMU could be on track towards classroom improvement.<\/p>\n

Gray announced that the football team earned a 2.97 grade-point average in the spring 2026 semester. FAMU\u2019s fall GPA was a 2.57.<\/p>\n

Eighty-five players have also enrolled in summer school courses, which began on May 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur young men have really bought in,\u201d Gray said. \u201cThey want structure. They want accountability. And they want to be held to a standard. That disappointment has really turned into determination. We have work to do, not just as an athletic department, but as a university and a program.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a good sign.<\/p>\n

And it may provide FAMU a refined recruiting approach.<\/p>\n

Pursue the top athletes. But also establish more rigorous academic requirements for entry into the university.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not ready to compete in the classroom, this is not going to be the place for you,\u201d Davis said. \u201cWe want the best athletes. But at the same time, you\u2019ve got to want to make sure you want to get that degree.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florida A&M<\/a> football 2026 schedule<\/p>\n

All times are Eastern<\/p>\n

Saturday, Aug. 29: vs. Albany State, 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Sunday, Sept. 6: vs. South Carolina State, Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium, 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

Thursday, Sept. 10: at Miami<\/p>\n

Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Tennessee State, 7 p.m., HBCU GO<\/p>\n

Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Alabama A&M (SWAC), 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Saturday, Oct. 10: at Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO<\/p>\n

Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC\/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO<\/p>\n

Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO<\/p>\n

Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC\/Florida Classic)<\/p>\n

Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the\u00a0Florida A&M Rattlers<\/a>\u00a0at the Tallahassee Democrat.<\/p>\n

Follow his award-winning coverage on\u00a0RattlerNews.com<\/a>\u00a0and contact him via email at\u00a0GDThomas@Tallahassee.com<\/a>\u00a0or on the app formerly known as Twitter\u00a0@3peatgee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: How FAMU football will ‘move forward’ after NCAA APR postseason ban<\/a><\/p>\n