James Colzie was formally announced as the 19th head coach in the history of Florida A&M (FAMU) football history in a press conference from Bragg Memorial Stadium; which is news enough in itself, but Coach Colzie casually dropped what might be the biggest bombshell of the entire presser when he announced that Florida State transfer running back Rodney Hill was “back in the fold.”
This comes as a surprise to anyone who has been following the comings and goings of the FAMU transfer portal since the Rattlers won the Celebration Bowl. On December 22, 2023, Rodney Hill announced he would be transferring from Florida State to Florida A&M after rushing 77 times for 334 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games as a Seminole. On January 1st, the same day Willie Simmons went from FAMU head coach to Duke University running backs coach, Rodney Hill made a post on his Twitter account announcing he was heading back into the transfer portal. After much consideration, I would like to announce I have decided to reopen my recruitment in the transfer portal. I look forward to finding a new home soon. — RODNEY Hill (lil Rod ) (@rodney_hill10) January 2, 2024 By January 20th, reports had Hill on his way to the University of Miami as a preferred walkon (PWO). We also saw news about the University of Oregon being accused of tampering and communicating with Hill before he officially entered the portal. REPORT: Oregon is being accused of TAMPERING with a Florida State player… In December, FSU RB Rodney Hill entered the Transfer Portal after an NIL Dispute. An FSU reporter is now alleging that Hill was in contact with a program BEFORE he entered the portal 247Sports’… pic.twitter.com/KTscyoQL29 — Blue Bloods Bias (@bluebloodsbias) January 24, 2024 And after all the news and allegations surrounding Rodney Hill during this transfer season, saying it was a surprise to hear new head coach James Colzie say “We’ve only really lost one or two guys” in response to a question about replacing players that had left during the uncertainty at head coach. “Rodney Hill is back in the fold,” Coach Colzie continued, adding a new layer of intrigue as we enter the James Colzie era at Florida A&M University.
