The search for a new Florida A&M football search continued on Sunday, with the revelation about the depth of the candidate pool.
During a Sunday afternoon meeting involving the school’s search committee and search firm Renaissance Search and Consulting, it was reported that 45 candidates applied for the position.
“We weren’t sure we were going to get this many in the pool,” said FAMU Chief Operating Officer and Vice President Dr. Donald Palm. “I think we really overachieved what I expected, and I’m excited that we have 45 strong candidates for this position.”
The names of coaches who expressed interest in the job were not disclosed due to concern that doing so would compromise the process, though it is believed they have HBCU and SWAC ties.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that five candidates were submitted to FAMU President Dr. Larry Robinson and Athletics Director Tiffani-Dawn Sykes.
Currently, FAMU assistant head coach James Colzie III, Rattlers’ interim head coach, is the preferred candidate by players and some alumni groups. Others also support assistant and former Florida A&M football player Billy Rolle for the role.
The committee did not say when a coach would be named, though Sykes indicated that she wanted someone named before National Signing Day on Feb. 7 to replace Willie Simmons, who took an assistant coach job at Duke on Jan. 1.
