The Florida A&M University (FAMU) Rattlers hired former FAMU quarterback Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. as the program’s 20th head football coach on Dec. 23, 2025. Gray, who previously served as an assistant coach for the Rattlers, replaces James Colzie III following a 5-7 season.
FAMU President Marva Johnson released a statement regarding Gray’s homecoming.
“Today is a proud moment for FAMUans everywhere,” Johnson said. ”We look forward to standing alongside coach Gray as we elevate Rattler football and continue building a premier athletics program worthy of our legacy and our future.”
Quinn Gray’s collegiate rise from FAMU QB to head coach
Gray’s deep connection with FAMU covers four seasons as the program’s starting quarterback from 1998 to 2001. During that tenure, he led the Rattlers to consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles in 2000 and 2001.
Gray concluded his playing career as the school’s all-time leader in passing yards, attempts, completions, and touchdown passes. He returned to FAMU from 2011 to 2014 as an associate head coach, quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator, laying a solid foundation for his future head coaching career.
“I’m home!! I am humbled and excited about the opportunity to lead this great program that is known to be the standard in HBCU football and the one that groomed me into the man that I am today,” Gray said in the statement released by FAMU athletics. “While I understand the excitement that surrounds this situation, I also understand the timeline and the urgency to get to work and ‘Restore the Strike,’ to our proud institution!”
Quinn Gray’s NFL breakthrough came with the Jaguars
Following his collegiate career, Gray entered professional football as an undrafted free agent, signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2002. He debuted with the Jaguars in 2005 and played for them until 2007. In October 2007, an injury to Jaguars starting quarterback David Garrard elevated Gray to the starting role, where he posted a 2-2 record in four starts that season.
Gray finished his time with the Jaguars after the 2007 season and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs for the 2008 season after short offseason stints with the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. Gray retired after playing the 2009 season with the New York Sentinels of the United Football League, ending his NFL career with 1,328 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
High school football program led by Quinn Gray kick-started his coaching career
Gray began his head coaching career at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, where he led the program from 2017 to 2019. In 2020, he transitioned to the collegiate level as the quarterbacks coach at Alcorn State University.
Gray served as a senior offensive analyst for the University of Memphis during the 2022 season before accepting the head coaching position at Albany State University (ASU) in 2023. During his lone season at ASU, he led the team to a 6-5 record and an appearance in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship game.
After back-to-back second-place conference standings in 2023 and 2024, ASU finally found its footing under Gray and dominated the SIAC championship in 2025. He led the Golden Rams to a 12-2 overall record and an undefeated 8-0 conference record, earning a berth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II quarterfinals.
‘I’m #ALL-IN’: Gray calls on support from Rattler Nation
FAMU built a reputation as a dominant Historically Black College and University football program under head coach Jake Gaither. In his 25-year tenure from 1945 to 1969, Gaither compiled a 203-36-4 overall record, which stands as one of the highest winning percentages in college football history. He led the Rattlers to 20 SIAC titles and six Black college national championships.
While the Rattlers have not found the same success in recent decades, spurts of success remain. FAMU reached the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in 2021, but the program recorded a 12-12 record over the past two seasons.
“I don’t take this opportunity lightly because I know what it means to so many people,” Gray said. “So, please understand that I’m #ALL-IN and I need Rattler Nation to be #ALL-In as well!”
Hunter Milligan is a Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com.
This article originally appeared on FSU News: Quinn Gray Sr. makes a homecoming to FAMU as head football coach
Reporting by Hunter Milligan, Staff Writer, FSView / FSU News
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