FAMU improves roster with latest signing day class

Head coach Willie Simmons taking questions from the crowd at the 2019 National Signing Day Report.
Photo Submitted by Sterling Bright.

After a lackluster ending to the 2018 football season, Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons has made moves to improve.  Following a 5-2 conference and 6-5 overall record, Simmons and the FAMU coaching staff believe they have strengthened  their roster by signing new talent.

At the 2019 FAMU Football National Signing Day, alumni, media and students were all in attendance for the unveiling of FAMU’s newest recruits.

The coaching staff this year made it a mission to not only try to recruit throughout Florida and Atlanta, but to also recruit athletes not based on merely physical ability, but also as students and pillars of their communities.  

FAMU’s recruitment team taking a different approach and focus this recruiting cycle was evident as Simmons detailed talking to parents, teachers and people in their communities so that he and the staff could learn about their potential recruits.

“This year we were able to get out on the road in May and identify a lot of these guys early,” Simmons said. “We were able to get a lot of these guys here in the summer…I think the biggest difference between last year and this year is that we were able to actually get to know a lot more about the student-athletes.”

The Rattlers also were able to recruit a few highly sought-after recruits who due to injury late in their high school careers were not recruited to some otherwise high-level programs. For example, one out of the four Tallahassee recruits in TE Kamari Young, a 6’3 203-pound force out of Godby High School. Young, despite possibly missing out of a few offers due to a late ACL injury in his high school career, still felt FAMU was the choice for him because of their commitment to him and his talent.

“We feel like we added 19 guys that are really going to make this team a lot better, that is really gonna make this team bigger faster, stronger. That’s gonna raise the academic profile of our football team and the character, which was critical in the evaluation process,” said Simmons.

This year, despite Duval County not being their priority, FAMU did happen to sign six players from Jacksonville, FL. including QB Cameron Sapp from Lee High School. Sapp was a sought-after prospect and has several outstanding career wins, including a win against the defending state champions Raines High School.

“Every position is about competition. Our job as coaches is to develop them all and play the best guys, guys who are gonna give us the best chance to win… I have no idea who that guy is gonna be Feb. 6, “ said Simmons.

With two year starting QB Ryan Stanley coming back next year for his senior year and the promise within Sapp, next year's battle for the starting QB spot will be an intense competition.  FAMU showed promise in Simmons first year, and with these added recruits plus the upperclassmen returning next season, the Rattlers are looking to make some noise in the MEAC as a true contender for the championship.
 

         

NAME

POS

HT.

WT.

HOMETOWN/LAST SCHOOL

Cameron Sapp

QB

6-3

190

Jacksonville, Fl/Lee HS

Terrell Jennings

RB

6-1

216

Jacksonville, Fl/Mandarin

Angelo Gonzales

WR

6-3

185

Miami, Fl/Coffeyville CC(KS)

Chris Sanders

WR

5-10

175

Jacksonville, Fl/The Bolles School

Donovon Mobley

WR

6-1

175

Tallahassee,Fl/Leon

Kamari Young

TE

6-3

230

Tallahassee, FL/Godby

Kaloeb Parker

TE

6-5

215

Jacksonville, Fl/Sandalwood

Tevin Rayford

OT

6-5

250

Thomasville,GA/Thomasville HS

Khamari Thomspon

OT

6-4

265

Hampton, GA/Dutchtown

Jalen Spady

OG

6-3

325

El Paso, TX/Glendale CC(AZ)

Jolan Gilley

DT

6-2

265

Tallahassee, Fl/Florida High

Kamari Stephens

DT

6-2

290

Jacksonville, Fl/Sandalwood

Anthony “Ant” Daniels

DT

6-1

250

Brooks County,GA/Brooks Co.

Omari Fiffer

LB

6-0

197

Jacksonville, Fl/Ed White

Moezies Telfort

LB

6-2

225

Ft Lauderdale, Fl/ University HS

Cortez Reid

DB

6-2

183

Rockledge, Fl/Viera

Javon Morgan

DB

5-11

180

Tallahassee, Fl/Florida High

Markques Ebell

DB

6-3

194

Bridgeton, NJ/Coffeyville CC (KS)

Jahsimeon Campblin

DB

6-0

175

Orlando, Fl/Edgewater