As he stood patiently waiting for his interview, Isaiah Knowles was hugged and dapped by Isaiah Morrison before being called a “great guy.”
That interaction with his Florida A&M football teammate, whom he transferred from Albany State with, was just a minuscule but meaningful glimpse into why the quarterback has adjusted so well on The Highest of Seven Hills.
“They’ve been showing all kinds of love. It’s been a great transition,” Knowles told the Tallahassee Democrat after FAMU’s sixth spring practice on Tuesday, March 10.
Rattler Nation may see Knowles and wonder, “he looks familiar.”
That’s because, just five months ago, the graduate student quarterbacked the NCAA Division II Albany State Golden Rams, who gave the Rattlers a scare during FAMU’s home opener on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium last September.
Knowles went 17-for-31 and passed for 201 yards and a touchdown while contributing 35 rushing yards on seven carries.
FAMU erased a 14-3 deficit to beat Albany State 33-25 for its first win of a 5-7 season.
Knowles remembers the game vividly, especially the LED Orange and Green light show that FAMU displayed every time it scored a touchdown.
“We always tell the guys here, ‘Man, we should have beat y’all.’ It was a great environment,” he recalled. “It’s pretty cool that I’m a part of it now.”
Knowles’ FAMU debut will be a Week 1 game in Tallahassee against Albany State on Aug. 29, which he describes as “bittersweet.”
Current FAMU head coach and former Rattlers record-setting and Hall of Fame quarterback, Quinn Fordham Gray Sr., was the head coach at Albany State for the last three seasons before his alma mater hired him last December.
As a tandem, Gray coached Knowles, initially a transfer from the Football Bowl Subdivision’s Naval Academy, to win back-to-back Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year awards in 2024 and 2025.
In Gray and Knowles’ final year in the Peach State, the program won the SIAC title and was named Division II’s Black College Football National Champions.
Now, they, along with a host of Albany State transfers, are trying to recreate that magic at the Football Championship Subdivision level and in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
“It didn’t take much convincing at all,” Gray said of his recruiting pitch to Knowles.
“That’s my guy. We’ve done some good things together, and hopefully we can continue to do that.”
FAMU football QB Isaiah Knowles returns to Division I level
College football has been a whirlwind for Knowles.
Going from Navy to Albany State taught the Tampa native a sense of grit and playing his “best ball.”
In 2025, Knowles led Albany State’s 36th-ranked offense in the nation to reach the Division II quarterfinals, just two games from being in the national championship game.
At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, he recorded 4,726 passing yards, 61 touchdowns passing and rushing combined, and just 14 interceptions for the Golden Rams from 2023 to 2025.
“Being able to come back to D2 and start from the bottom to work my way up is definitely humbling, but a blessing as well,” Knowles said. “I learned so much from being a quarterback. And now it’s allowed me to be in the position I’m in now.”
FAMU football’s Isaiah Knowles leading young QB room
Knowing Knowles for years now, Gray was quick to answer when asked what intangibles Knowles brings to the quarterback room.
“Knowledge,” the first-year FAMU head coach said. “He’s able to help the other guys out with different aspects of the offense.”
“As a room, we have a lot of talent,” Gray added. “I think that the biggest thing we have to make sure of is that the transition happens from the classroom to the field. They’re making good plays, but we’ve got to get more consistent.”
Knowles has been mentoring fellow quarterbacks James Hayes and Armond Parker on reads and progressions since the start of organized team activities. He plans to do the same when more signal callers are set to report to the team this summer, setting the table for a smooth succession plan after he exhausts his college football eligibility this fall.
“We decided we wanted to have a really tight QB room,” Knowles said.
Knowles knows FAMU’s new offensive system because of his history with being on Gray-led teams.
But he isn’t a know-it-all by any measure.
“They’re helping me out, too,” Knowles explained. “Even though I know the whole offense, I’ll come back on the sideline asking them what they see.”
The Rattlers continue spring football camp on Thursday, March 12, and Saturday, March 14, for its second scrimmage. The team will then have spring break off and return to practice on March 24.
FAMU’s ‘Friday Night Strike’ Orange and Green Spring Game is April 3 at 6 p.m.
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: How FAMU football’s Isaiah Knowles is bringing ‘knowledge’ to QB room
Reporting by Gerald Thomas III, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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