Florida A&M football’s tight ends navigate every fall training camp exuding confidence.
This year is the same as the Rattlers completed 13 of 25 training camp practices.
“I told you last fall it’s the year of the tight end,” said FAMU tight end Jeremiah Pruitte.
“We got a lot of big surprises coming in utilizing the tight end this year. I’m looking forward to it. All I can say is just be ready. We’re ready to put on a show for y’all.”
The Rattlers feature six tight ends this season.
Returners Koby Gross and Pruitte headline the position group. FAMU also added Karter Johnson from Pittsburgh to bolster the corps.
So far, so good for 2024’s crop of Rattler tight ends, says FAMU tight ends coach Casey Warming.
“I’m proud of the work the group is putting in as a collective. These guys have made many big-time plays in fall camp so far,” Warming said.
“As a group, our energy and effort has been where it needs to be, but now it’s time to bring our fundamentals and details to the same level. Every day, I’m learning and working, trying to find ways to put all my guys in a position to be successful on game days.
“It’s a pleasure to coach these young men, and I’m looking forward to the season.”
If the trio weren’t in a system designed for them to share their targets, they would be in play to earn highly-touted individual awards.
However, the tight ends’ humility outshines any accolade they could get.
“We have three quality guys that can be all-conference, All-American type guys. It’s a great sign of them not being selfish,” said FAMU head coach James Colzie III.
“I wish we had three footballs to throw to all three tight ends.”
This season, FAMU tight ends will be under the offensive coordination and playcalling of Joseph Henry. Henry, also the Rattlers’ assistant head coach, played tight end for the Arkansas Razorbacks from 2005-2009.
“With our new offensive play-caller, Joe Henry, I think he’ll be able to open it up. He’s a fellow tight end himself. You know how that goes,” Pruitte said.
Warming is entering his third season as an assistant on FAMU’s staff, serving as the Rattlers’ tight ends coach.
Warming, from Tallahassee by way of Lincoln High School, played tight end for the Grambling State Tigers, recently graduating in 2021.
“Coach Casey is a younger guy and gets us all together because he was in our shoes not too long ago,” Gross said. “It’s a good connection all together.”
FAMU football tight ends’ production expected to raise even more in 2024
After winning the 2023 Black College Football National Championship, FAMU lost four-year starting tight end Kamari Young to graduation.
So, the Rattlers sifted through the NCAA Transfer Portal to replace the former Rattler standout.
That’s when they discovered Johnson, who was in the portal after contributing 12 catches, 175 yards, and two touchdowns to the Pittsburgh Panthers in 2023.
Johnson committed to FAMU in April to use his final season of eligibility. The graduate student says he’s already found his “brotherhood” and likes the direction of the Rattlers offense.
“I didn’t like the situation I was in. So, I felt like for my last year, FAMU would be the best spot for me,” Johnson said on his decision to transfer. “It’s a great offense and tight end heavy. I like what Coach Henry’s got going on.”
Last season, FAMU tight ends tallied 49 receptions, 731 yards, and four touchdowns as a collective for the Rattlers.
They made up for nearly a quarter of the FAMU’s receiving yards, primarily as third down and redzone threats. This year, the FAMU tight ends believe they will get even more targets.
“We’re so much more involved than we were in previous years. And I love it,” Gross said.
Tight ends are a luxury in football. FAMU football has three of them
Tight ends must know how to block like an offensive lineman and have sure hands like a wide receiver.
Having a productive tight end can make or break an offense.
Tight ends’ importance has been spotlighted as they even have their own holiday, ‘National Tight Ends Day,’ celebrated on the fourth Sunday of October.
“Tight end is pivotal to the offense,” Johnson said.
“You have to block and be in trenches with the big boys, and then you have to go out and catch the ball like a receiver. You got to know everything. You’re a big utility guy as a tight end. The more you can do, the better your team will be.”
Colzie has spent his career strategizing against tight ends as a defensive back during his playing days and in previous coaching roles.
Now, having three capable tight ends in Gross, Pruitte, and Johnson at his disposal, he can turn the tide by creating mismatches against opposing defenses.
“Teams dictate what they’re going to do with who their tight ends are,” Colzie said.
“What we can do with those three tight ends with their ability to block and catch the football makes it tough on some of the defenses on what they want to do. It gives our offense many opportunities. And as a quarterback, having an opportunity to throw the ball to those three big bodies is also a blessing.”
It’s two weeks until the Rattlers kick off their 2024 season against the Norfolk State Spartans at Aug. 24’s MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
The game is at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Pruitte’s hometown.
The FAMU-Norfolk game will be nationally televised on ABC.
“It’s finally time to show the world what we’re capable of. I feel like we’re going to be able to showcase a lot of stuff that we haven’t been able to show in the past,” Pruitt said.
Florida A&M Rattlers 2024 Football Schedule
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Aug. 24 vs. Norfolk State in MEAC/SWAC Challenge, Atlanta* at 7:30 p.m., ABC
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Aug. 31 vs. South Carolina State, 6 p.m., ESPN+
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Sept. 7 at Miami, 6 p.m., ACC Network
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Sept. 21 at Troy, 7 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
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Sept. 28 vs. Alabama A&M, 6 p.m., ESPN+
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Oct. 5 at Alabama State, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
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Oct. 19 at Jackson State, 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN Network
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Oct. 26 vs. Southern, 7 p.m., ESPN Network
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Nov. 2 vs. Texas Southern (HOMECOMING), 4 p.m., ESPN+
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Nov. 9 at Prairie View A&M, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, ESPN+
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Nov. 16 vs. Mississippi Valley State, 1 p.m., HBCU GO
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Nov. 23 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Florida Classic, Orlando*, 3:30 p.m., ESPN Network
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Nov. 30: FCS Playoffs Begin
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Dec. 7: SWAC Championship, LOCATION/TEAMS TBA, ESPN2
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Dec. 14: Celebration Bowl, Atlanta*, TEAMS TBA, 12 p.m., ABC
BOLD = SWAC
* = Neutral Site
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: ‘Year of the tight end’: Here’s FAMU football’s TEs 2024 expectations
