Florida A&M met preseason expectations by capturing the program’s first-ever SWAC East division championship on Saturday on the strength of a blowout win over Prairie View.
But for head coach Willie Simmons, the accomplishment — while historic and meaningful — is just the first in what the program hopes is a series of others over the next few months.
“Clinching the SWAC East was a goal, but it was not the goal,” said Simmons on Monday. “We still have a lot of football left to play. So, in order for us to achieve our ultimate goal, this was one of the them we had to accomplish.”
The Rattlers entered the season as the healthy favorite to take the SWAC East with the thinking that the absence of Deion Sanders to Colorado and a significant roster overhaul at Jackson State would provide the opening for a FAMU team that had brought back a talented and veteran collection of players.
After all, Florida A&M had lost just two SWAC games — both to Jackson State — since 2021. In many respects, the Rattlers probably should have been considered the favorite considering they had been the most consistent team in the conference over the last three years this side of Jackson, Mississippi.
Before the Rattlers can prepare for the SWAC Championship Game on Dec. 2 or look ahead to the Celebration Bowl on Dec. 16, there are three regular season games left, starting with Alabama A&M before matchups against Lincoln University (CA) and Bethune-Cookman in the Florida Classic.
Simmons wants the group to maintain its focus and remain sharp in games that largely don’t matter so much in the standings but can provide momentum going into games that do.
“We still have work to do. The work is not done,” said Simmons. “We know that there’s a great opportunity to continue to play a high level of football. For them (the players), it’s about dialing in and doing the things daily to position themselves to be successful and getting teammates to understand the sense of urgency.”
