And now, for the main event.
Florida A&M’s spring football camp will culminate in its annual Orange and Green Spring Game on Saturday.
Kickoff is Saturday at 4 p.m. on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium.
General admission tickets are $15. FAMU’s streaming service, Rattlers Plus, will broadcast the game for fans to watch from home.
The spring game serves as an opportunity for Rattler Nation and college football fans to get a preview of the defending Black College Football National Champions.
FAMU boasts a new-look roster, which includes first-year head coach James Colzie III and an influx of transfers.
Here are six players to watch at the Rattlers’ annual spring game.
Everyone wants to know who will be QB1.
Will it be Junior Muratovic or Daniel Richardson?
Saturday will provide a glimpse of the ongoing quarterback battle that has seen Muratovic and Richardson share first-team reps.
Muratovic has been at FAMU since 2021, entering his fourth year in the system. He has two career starts, one as a true freshman and one as a redshirt sophomore last season.
Meanwhile, Richardson transferred to FAMU after stints with Central Michigan and most recently, Florida Atlantic. Though it’s his first season with the Rattlers and his final year of eligibility, Richardson has 32 career starts on the Football Bowl Subdivision level and quarterbacked CMU to a 2021 Sun Bowl victory.
Jeremiah Pruitte’s measurables pose him as an aerial threat.
With Kamari Young graduating, the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder Pruitte may get even more touches. Last season, the graduate student Pruitte caught 13 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown.
Pruitte has the distinction of playing wide receiver on the FBS level, as he did at Colorado State before transferring to FAMU in 2021.
The mismatches Pruitte creates help him make contested catches and become a true red-zone threat.
James Ash is the top returning interior defensive lineman for the Rattlers.
The former Wake Forest player is looking to galvanize the FAMU defensive front, especially after the NCAA Transfer Portal entries by Anthony Dunn Jr., Gentle Hunt, and Allen Smith Jr.
Ash stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 280 pounds.
In 2023, Ash collected 32 tackles, six for loss during the Rattlers title run. He even caught an interception for the FAMU ‘Dark Cloud Defense.’
With Isaiah Major graduating and Johnny Chaney Jr. entering the transfer portal, Aric Horne is looking to be the heart of the FAMU defense.
Horne has been with the Rattlers since 2022, transferring from Iowa State. His goal of becoming FAMU’s standout linebacker has been one of the main stories of spring football training camp.
Last season, Horne, now a graduate student, was a rotational piece for the Rattlers’ stacked defensive roster. He totaled 10 tackles, two for loss in nine games in 2023.
Demorie Tate will be one of the most intriguing players on FAMU this season.
Ranked a five-star prospect by 247Sports for the 2020 class out of Orlando’s Freedom High School, Tate spent his first three years of college across the railroad tracks at Florida State. He’s the highest-ranked recruit to sign with the Seminoles during the Mike Norvell era.
Leaving FSU in 2022 and sitting out the 2023 season, Tate signed with FAMU last December.
He’s been manning one of the Rattlers’ safety spots during the spring and looks to make an immediate impact in his return to football on The Highest of Seven Hills.
When: Saturday, April 13 at 4 p.m.
Where: Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium
Streaming: Rattlers Plus
Admission Price: $15
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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