It’s simple, Quinn Gray should be Florida A&M’s next coach

In sports, we often try to outsmart ourselves instead of simply going for the most direct outcome. Sometimes, situations are not as complex as they appear to be. I believe that Florida A&M has found itself in a situation where it can easily return its team to SWAC Championship and Celebration Bowl contention for years to come. The answer is straightforward: They need to hire Quinn Gray as their next head coach.

Quinn Gray is a Florida A&M legend, a winning quarterback who played under the legendary Rattler coach Billy Joe in his Air Raid system, which famously gave birth to the Gulf Coast Offense. Gray has had a tremendous coaching journey that led him to become Albany State University’s head coach for the past three seasons, and in each of those seasons, he has found success. Most recently, he won the SIAC Championship and made a deep run in the NCAA Division II playoffs, reaching the regional final this past weekend.

Gray is a slam-dunk hire who checks every single box. Does he understand the culture? Absolutely; he is a Florida A&M alumnus who served as an assistant for the Rattlers from 2011-2014. Do you want a former NFL guy? Quinn Gray played in the NFL from 2002-2009. Do you want someone with head-coaching experience? Gray has three years of head coaching experience at Albany State, where he won a conference championship and proved his adeptness as a leader, staff manager, and recruiter, notably with his quarterback Isaiah Knowles. To me, it is a no-brainer.

Yet it appears other names are being floated. I’ve heard many within the HBCU football world mention Teddy Bridgewater as an ideal candidate, and others are tossing around current HBCU head coaches at other FCS institutions, or even more celebrities. The chatter is so loud that I’m starting to wonder if Florida A&M is going to overthink the obvious.

FAMU saw massive success under Willie Simmons, who was an offensive mastermind who developed an elite team across all three phases. Simmons never had a losing season and left the institution on top, having won the 2023 Celebration Bowl and the SWAC Championship. The team had a clear identity, driven by an offensive philosophy that countered defenses and a staff that developed standout players.

That clear identity was lost under James Colzie III. Colzie, who was the choice of many alumni to retain the core of Simmons’ recruited players, ultimately struggled. The final win-loss record of 5-7 doesn’t fully reflect how out of sync FAMU was for a large majority of the season. They suffered from quarterback instability with R.J. Johnson, the defense became bendable, and the team lacked a clear identity to call upon to win challenging games. They lost games they should not have lost against Bethune-Cookman and Mississippi Valley State, and were dominated by contenders like Jackson State, Alabama State and North Carolina Central.

Quinn Gray is the right person to bring back a Willie Simmons-esque style to the team and ultimately ensure success. Gray’s offensive style is inherently Air Raid, fitting the Rattlers’ historical identity. At Albany State, his offensive numbers were dominant: this year, they ranked second in the SIAC in scoring, and first in both total and rushing offense.

While they ranked sixth in passing offense, they averaged 204 passing yards per game and ranked third in passing touchdowns with 23—this successful balance led them to an undefeated regular season in Division II. Gray’s early-season matchup against FAMU at Bragg Memorial Stadium, where Albany State led 14-10 at halftime, had to be seen as a tryout.

I understand the business of sports, and I get wanting to cast as wide a net as possible for a program with the history and success of FAMU. But time is of the essence. Having a head coach installed at the institution is imperative for a smooth transition, especially since the transfer portal officially opens in only a few weeks. FAMU cannot afford for this coaching search to drag on beyond Christmas, when they have a ready-made coach ready to take over.

Quinn Gray can easily be the latest former Division II coach to lead a Division I program to immediate success. This week’s Celebration Bowl features Chennis Berry and Tremaine Jackson, both of whom were dominant Division II coaches before moving to FCS. Gray coached against Berry’s Benedict College Tigers in the 2023 SIAC Championship, and Jackson led Valdosta State to a National Championship appearance in 2024.

It is not unheard of to bring on a Division II coach, especially one with players who will likely follow him to the Division I level. Isaiah Knowles has already entered the transfer portal and has an offer from Florida A&M. It would make perfect sense for Gray to become the head coach and for Knowles to be the first recruit to announce his commitment.

Gray, a native of Florida, knows the pipelines needed to secure talented high school recruits and transfers to join the team, making a run for the SWAC Championship next season a real possibility. Florida A&M needs to stop being too smart for its own good. They have to make the easy hire and live with the consequences or the reward. Florida A&M, keep it simple: your next coach is only one hour and 47 minutes away from your campus. Get him and thrive.

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