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Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. is about to put his football team to the test.
Florida A&M is set to have its first preseason training camp scrimmage game on Saturday, Aug. 8, on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium. It will be the Rattlers’ eighth practice day.
Saturday provides FAMU a glimpse and assessment of where the Orange and Green stand three weeks before kickoff against Albany State.
Playmakers will arise, and position battles will hit next gear.
Here’s what the Rattlers will learn about themselves this weekend.
After surpassing its acclimation period, FAMU began practicing in full pads on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Gray was proud of the team’s physicality and discipline in keeping each other off the ground. It’s exactly what the first-year head coach was looking for.
But Saturday will up the ante. Players will be allowed to tackle some.
“When we get to Saturday, we’ll see the ability to take people to the ground, where we’ll get that true evaluation,” Gray told the Tallahassee Democrat.
FAMU players are chomping at the bit for contact.
It’s the time for some hard-nosed football.
“We’re ready to play fast, physical, and violent,” defensive end Antonio Camon Jr. said. “We’re ready to hit each other in the mouth.”
Saturday gives Gray and his FAMU assistant coaching staff leeway to begin penciling in their starting lineups.
“It gives us a good idea of how we need to set up our two-deep depth chart going into our third week of camp, and then start moving towards game preparation,” Gray said.
FAMU entered training camp looking to solidify spots in the secondary among other positions.
However, Gray will review the entire field of play. It’s a chance to rise and emerge as key pieces of what FAMU is doing.
“We’re watching all of them,” Gray said. “No position is exempt. So at the end of the day, we’re trying to make sure our team and our program are moving in the right direction.”
The Rattlers must retain information from the installation period and the new playbook under Gray.
No excuses.
Good on-field responses will be valuable as the second full week of training camp begins. Being lost in the shuffle may have players sharing the sideline next to the FAMU coaches come gameday this fall.
“When Saturday gets here, we will have been at it for two weeks,” Gray said. “So, it’ll give us a good idea of who knows what they’re doing. Who knows about situational football, and whom can we depend on going into the next phase of camp?”
All times are Eastern
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football's first scrimmage to reveal depth chart contenders
Continue reading...
Florida A&M is set to have its first preseason training camp scrimmage game on Saturday, Aug. 8, on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium. It will be the Rattlers’ eighth practice day.
Saturday provides FAMU a glimpse and assessment of where the Orange and Green stand three weeks before kickoff against Albany State.
Playmakers will arise, and position battles will hit next gear.
Here’s what the Rattlers will learn about themselves this weekend.
FAMU football's physicality
After surpassing its acclimation period, FAMU began practicing in full pads on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Gray was proud of the team’s physicality and discipline in keeping each other off the ground. It’s exactly what the first-year head coach was looking for.
But Saturday will up the ante. Players will be allowed to tackle some.
“When we get to Saturday, we’ll see the ability to take people to the ground, where we’ll get that true evaluation,” Gray told the Tallahassee Democrat.
You must be registered for see images attach
FAMU players are chomping at the bit for contact.
It’s the time for some hard-nosed football.
“We’re ready to play fast, physical, and violent,” defensive end Antonio Camon Jr. said. “We’re ready to hit each other in the mouth.”
FAMU football's initial training camp depth chart
You must be registered for see images
Saturday gives Gray and his FAMU assistant coaching staff leeway to begin penciling in their starting lineups.
“It gives us a good idea of how we need to set up our two-deep depth chart going into our third week of camp, and then start moving towards game preparation,” Gray said.
FAMU entered training camp looking to solidify spots in the secondary among other positions.
However, Gray will review the entire field of play. It’s a chance to rise and emerge as key pieces of what FAMU is doing.
“We’re watching all of them,” Gray said. “No position is exempt. So at the end of the day, we’re trying to make sure our team and our program are moving in the right direction.”
FAMU football's on-field situational awareness
The Rattlers must retain information from the installation period and the new playbook under Gray.
No excuses.
Good on-field responses will be valuable as the second full week of training camp begins. Being lost in the shuffle may have players sharing the sideline next to the FAMU coaches come gameday this fall.
You must be registered for see images
“When Saturday gets here, we will have been at it for two weeks,” Gray said. “So, it’ll give us a good idea of who knows what they’re doing. Who knows about situational football, and whom can we depend on going into the next phase of camp?”
Florida A&M football 2026 schedule
All times are Eastern
- Saturday, Aug. 29: vs. Albany State, 7 p.m., SWAC TV
- Sunday, Sept. 6: vs. South Carolina State, Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium, 3 p.m., ESPNU
- Thursday, Sept. 10: at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network
- Saturday, Sept. 19: vs. Tennessee State, 7 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Sept. 26: vs. Alabama A&M (SWAC), 7 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Oct. 3: BYE
- Saturday, Oct. 10: at Alabama State (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Oct. 17: at Jackson State (SWAC), 3 p.m., ESPN Network
- Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at [email protected] or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football's first scrimmage to reveal depth chart contenders
Continue reading...
