Courtesy of FAMU Athletics
In preparation for Saturday’s Orange & Green Game the Rattlers wrapped up their last practice Friday of the spring football session.
Footballs were flying, whistles were blowing and cleats were ground into the football soil as the players worked on individual technique for the walk-through. Walkthrough is simply a light practice without pads where a team will work on the technique, lineup and game plan for the upcoming game. Walkthroughs for most teams are usually the day before or day of a game.
After a tough three weeks of practices, Head Coach Alex Wood and the Rattlers are hopeful for a great outlook for the spring game. Wood expressed his expectations for Saturday.
“Good execution, good organization, good spirit, a lot of hustle and good clean play,” Wood said. “Hopefully there’s some excitement and some scoring on both sides of the ball.”
Every college football program loses talent to graduation and the National Football League, and therefore having to rebuild.
Coach Wood explains how his team will continue to move forward and fill in for the graduating seniors.
“We’re developing some players; that is what spring ball is all about. We’re making some progress,” Wood said. “We still have summer time and fall camp, but this was a good spring for us to get a chance to evaluate and find out who are some of the guys that are going to fill some of those jobs.”
Every organization has to have a vision or standard of excellence that they see themselves working towards for the future. Coach Wood shared his vision and his expectations for FAMU football.
“Our vision for the program is to recruit the right fit for FAMU student-athlete wise. It’s also to win a championship and have a winning season,” Wood said. “Our vision is to graduate student-athletes and win.”
Visions and goals must have an approach to meeting those goals, and coach Wood has that approach to turning FAMU into a successful program again.
“Our approach is to establish a culture of winning and excellence; that is what getting the right people is all about,” Wood said. “We think that we inherited some of the right people, and we’ll continue to build that with our vision in terms of recruitment.”
Coach Wood also praised starting quarterback Carson Royal on his leadership and hard work during practice.
“He’s come to work every day with a good attitude. He comes early and stays late. Those are good attributes from the quarterback,” Wood said. “He leads by example and by performance and energy on the field.”
Coach Wood also explained how the upcoming talent has been working hard throughout the spring.
“All the guys are working hard right now,” Wood explained. “We’re still in an evaluation process, and hopefully some guys will emerge as we come out of fall ball.”
Starting quarterback Carson Royal and sophomore linebacker Luke Helms added input on their leadership roles and the difference between coach Wood and previous coaches.
“Coach Wood has done a great job on organizing everyone, making sure everyone is in the right place, doing the right job, and making sure everyone is motivated each day coming out,” Royal said. “I’ve been making sure everyone is staying focused, not messing up on assignments and staying motivated.”
“As the mike linebacker, you always have to start with a good attitude,” Helms said. “Players play off of your attitude and the way you handle yourself.”
The Rattlers will host the Orange and Green game at Bragg Memorial Stadium Saturday, April 11, kick off begins at 2 p.m.