Fresh off its first Celebration Bowl victory in school history, the Famu football team had hoped for a relatively non-eventful off-season where the only challenge would be figuring out how to keep together the heart and soul of a championship team and staff.
Instead, FAMU face less inviting but equally daunting marching orders: Move swiftly to replace its head coach of six years and try to keep intact as much of the core Coaching Staff as possible to make another run at a SWAC Championship and HBCU National title again in 2024.
Now, AD Tiffani Dawn Sykes, a novice, who just completed her first year at the helm of FAMU Athletics, and her first year in a significant leadership role anywhere is faced with making one of the most consequential hires in her young career.
As we continue to wait to find out who the next FAMU football head coach will be, the aim of the organization should be to maintain as much of the current staff as possible.
Can you imagine the Rattler football team without its dominating “Dark Clouds Defense” which was one of the prime drivers of the teams’ success this season? FAMU Athletics should move quickly to retain Associate Head Coach/Head Coach of the Defense/Defensive Coordinator Ryan Smith now.
Smith has been a part of the transformation of the Rattler football team since 2018 and the FAMU’s defense these past few years and has a pivotal role in played a pivotal role in developing linebackers All-American and SWAC Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Isaiah Major, Markquese Bell (Dallas Cowboys), Isaiah Land (Indianapolis Colts). Under Smith, the defensive unit has been recognized as one of the top units in FBS football.
This year the FAMU defensive unit had three BOXTOROW All-Americans on it. And, the Rattlers ranked No. 3 in FBS in scoring defense.
On the offensive side, the Rattler offense under Offensive Coordinator Joseph Henry lead the SWAC in scoring (avg.30.6 ppg) and passing (236.5 yd ppg) in 2023.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the program and with the American Football Coaches Convention --- the annual networking, professional development, and job fair of the coaching “fraternity”-- set to begin this Sunday in Nashville, TN, AD Sykes would be wise to work to assure much of the current coaching staff that their jobs are secure before others teams try to take advantage of the instability and poach our staff.
Former FAMU Head Coach Willie Simmons did a remarkable job assembling a coaching staff that most talent evaluators rate as one of the best in the FCS.
If FAMU President Larry Robinson and his hand-picked AD, wish to continue in the same direction and build upon a program that has won nine games in each of the past four seasons and been a juggernaut in HBCU football. Retaining as much of the current staff as possible would be a mark of stability after the Rattler's stellar 2023 champion season.
"Success is a lot easier if you can maintain continuity and have a culture where (assistants) like coming to work and like where they’re working and if you’re competitive in compensation," Nick Saban, University of Alabama head football coach, is fond of saying.
