It’s been a rollercoaster of a month for Florida A&M and its football program. After a winning season, the team lost Willie Simmons, their former head coach, to Duke University. Now the search is underway for the next person who will take the helm.
During Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, FAMU’s Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes gave an update.
“Upon learning of Coach Simmons’ decision to pursue another opportunity, I began outlining my vision for FAMU’s 19th full time head football coach,” said Sykes.
Sykes says her goal is a “thorough yet swift” search, but she’s already facing pushback from alumni and fans who say they want more communication from the school. Curtis Johnson, the president of FAMU’s National Alumni Association says he’s disappointed with how the entire process has gone so far.
“No shared communication of the hiring process for the head football coach or transparency with key stakeholders not only led to confusion, but downright disappointment,” said Johnson. “These stakeholders that have continuously supported the efforts of athletics.”
In a response to those concerns, Sykes told the board she wants to build a search team of students, donors, and trustee members to assist in the search for the Rattlers’ next head coach.
“The firm will begin by conducting interviews with constituents to find out what is important to them in our next head coach,” said Sykes. “This will be done to give the broader FAMU community an opportunity to be a part of this process.”
Sykes vowed to have a permanent head football coach by National Signing Day on February 7th, but several players have voiced concerns about staying at FAMU without a coach. A handful have already announced their departure and have entered the transfer portal.
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