Two weeks in and one scrimmage later, Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. has gotten his first game-like evaluation of his inaugural Florida A&M football team.
On Saturday, March 7, the Rattlers had their first practice scrimmage out of three during the fifth day of spring football camp.
It tested whether players retained information from the offensive and defensive installation stages. The Rattlers were also assessed on “move the ball” and post-penalty periods.
“We wanted to get a good evaluation of the guys in terms of being able to take what they learned in the classroom to the field,” Gray told the media on Saturday.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of work that still has to be done, but I’m happy where we are.”
FAMU’s body language was positive, and the overall team operations were clean without an overwhelming amount of penalties.
“Not a whole bunch of penalties or anything like that,” Gray said. “We had some penalties here and there. But I can accept aggressive penalties when it comes down to it.”
FAMU football QB Isaiah Knowles emerging in balanced offensive attack
Gray came away from Saturday pleased with the quarterback’s performance.
Isaiah Knowles, a transfer from Albany State; former Alabama State signal caller James Hayes; and Armond Parker, a signee from Locust Grove High School, all received reps.
It’s an “ongoing battle,” said Gray, a former FAMU quarterback himself.
However, Knowles, the 2024 and 2025 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, is ahead of his quarterback counterparts because he knows Gray’s system from their time together at Albany State.
“I think they had a really decent day in terms of throwing the ball and decision making,” Gray said about the quarterbacks. “It’s just a matter of them continuing to grow and developing in the system.”
FAMU’s offense ran tempo periods.
Co-offensive coordinator Nick Sewak liked the effort.
Sewak also oversees the Rattlers’ offensive line and running game, and expects the team to maintain a healthy balance between the ground game and aerial attack.
Running backs Jamal Hailey and Levontai ‘Bo’ Summersett return to the Rattlers. Expected key wide receivers for the 2026 season are Armand Burris, Quan Lee, Corey ‘Deuce’ Petty, Kenari Wilcher, and more.
“It’s going to be controlled balance,” Sewak explained. “It’s being able to spread the ball out to all of your playmakers ― distributing the ball.”
FAMU football DE Caden Brown turning aheads
The Rattlers want to return to the days of the ‘Dark Cloud Defense,’ when they used to finish near the top of Football Championship Subdivision statistics annually.
That dominance ultimately led to the program’s 2023 Celebration Bowl and Black College Football National Championship wins.
New defensive coordinator Ryan Lewis Sr. said that, to reach that level, FAMU must complete its daily ‘Big Three’ objectives: Effort, Attitude, and Alignment.
Lewis’ defense forced two turnovers, short of the three he set as his goal. The interior defensive line held up, though.
Players who flashed for the Rattlers were the linebacker duo Justice Cross, who returned from last year’s roster, and Denzel Johnson, an Alabama State transfer.
Syracuse transfer edge rusher Caden Brown earned a shout-out by Gray and Lewis for winning his one-on-one matchups.
“He’s a guy that’s going to give us something down the line and during the season in terms of pass rush and an overall defender,” Gray said.
The Rattlers return to spring football camp on Tuesday, March 10.
Florida A&M football 2026 schedule
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football playmakers emerge in Quinn Gray’s first spring scrimmage
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
