New Florida A&M head football coach James Colzie III is putting his stamp on the program.

As he leads his first spring season, the coach adds new wrinkles to the Rattlers’ practices.

An addition Colzie has made is implementing a ‘Fire Drill’ during practice. A horn sounds off in Bragg Memorial Stadium, directing FAMU’s offensive and defensive players to their respective sidelines. The team is then tasked to react to rapid-fire play calls.

FAMU football players never know when ‘Fire Drill’ will happen.

In Tuesday’s first practice, the Rattlers did the ‘Fire Drill’ amidst practice. However, Colzie called ‘Fire Drill’ at practice’s start on Thursday.

“First and foremost, we want to make sure we have a good structure,” Colzie told media after FAMU’s second day of spring practice.

“When doing ‘Fire Drill,’ we’re trying to incorporate running a play and lining up that includes a situation form. They have no idea when we do it, but they know to get to the sidelines and get their plays once they hear it. Make sure you line up again, whether good, bad, or indifferent.

“It keeps our guys ready for sudden change during a football game.”

FAMU running back and last year’s Celebration Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player Kelvin Dean Jr. is a fan of Colzie’s ‘Fire Drills.’

The graduate student Dean said he’s excited for the Rattlers to incorporate shoulder pads on Friday to see how the new practice period goes with elevated physicality.

“It’s more like an adrenaline boost,” Dean explained the ‘Fire Drill.’ "We could just be walking to do special teams, and you hear the horns going off, and you know what time it is. It’ll get a little bit better when we get in pads.”

FAMU head coach James Colzie III staying true to what got him the job

Colzie may have had his most significant impact on FAMU’s cornerbacks, whom he exclusively coached during his first seasons in 2022 and 2023.

Despite now being the head coach, Colzie is still leading the Rattlers’ cornerback unit during practice.

“Coach Colzie is a great coach,” said FAMU cornerback and 2023 Boxtorow All-American Kendall Bohler. “He’s been my position coach for the past two years, so being around him and seeing him at the top means a lot, for sure.”

The cornerback position is not on Colzie. The cornerback position is in Colzie.

In college, Colzie was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference cornerback for the Florida State Seminoles, where he was a two-sport athlete in football and baseball from 1993 to 1996.

His success as a player and coach affiliated with the cornerback position makes it hard for him to stay away from the unit.

“I don’t want just to stand around. I feel that I got this position primarily for what I was doing,” Colzie said of still overseeing the cornerbacks. “I like to be around my players, and I’ll continue to stay that way as long as possible.”

FAMU football players adjusting to James Colzie III as new head coach

Dean served on FAMU’s eight-person search committee, which recommended that Colzie's elevation from interim head coach to permanent head coach.

So far, so good.

Dean thinks Colzie has commanded the team in the young spring football season.

“I like the direction we’re going,” Dean said of Colzie in FAMU’s first two spring practices. “Just seeing him step into leadership. Last year, he was strictly in one area, and now you see him walking around from group to group.

“He’s controlling the scene, and everyone is following his leadership.”

Colzie has galvanized his inaugural spring FAMU football team through the first two players.

But it takes a village. Assistant coaches and returning players have been vital as the Rattlers embark on the Colzie era.

“The coaches are stepping up. And our veterans are doing a really good job of being leaders,” Colzie said.

Florida A&M Rattlers Spring Football Practice Schedule

Practice 3: Friday, March 8

Practice 4: Tuesday, March 19

Practice 5: Thursday, March 21

Practice 6: Friday, March 22

Practice 7: Tuesday, March 26

Practice 8: Thursday, March 28

Practice 9: Friday, March 29

Practice 10: Tuesday, April 2

Practice 11: Thursday, April 4

Practice 12: Friday, April 5

Practice 13: Tuesday, April 9

Practice 14: Thursday, April 11

Orange and Green Spring Game at Bragg Memorial Stadium: Saturday, April 13 at 4 p.m.

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: 1st-year coach Colzie incorporating new wrinkles in spring