By HBCU Sports
(Source: HBCU Sports)
Florida A&M University President Marva Johnson says the school is taking immediate steps to strengthen academic performance in its football program after the NCAA handed down sanctions stemming from longstanding APR issues.
The NCAA last week hit FAMU football with a Level II APR penalty, which included a postseason ban and limits on practice time for the 2026 season.
That means the Rattlers would be unable to qualify for the SWAC Championship Game, Celebration Bowl, or FCS playoffs.
Florida A&M’s four-year APR average fell below the NCAA’s required 930 benchmark for Division I programs, according to NCAA records.
FAMU indicated it had previously received a waiver for the 2025 season but was unable to raise its APR score to avoid further NCAA penalties.
Florida A&M vows more academic support for athletes
Speaking to the Board of Trustees on Wednesday, Johnson outlined the university’s plan to assess the football program and improve support for all athletes.
“We’ve got additional corrective measures to follow,” Johnson said during the meeting as reported by the Tallahassee Democrat. “One of the things I want to make sure we don’t do is make promises we don’t deliver. We need to ensure what we’re committing to makes sense.”
Johnson emphasized early intervention and increased academic monitoring as part of the strategy to enhance players’ classroom success, the newspaper reported.
Additionally, Johnson said the SWAC will also provide assistance to help FAMU with APR.
Head coach Quinn Gray, in his first season as Rattlers coach, said academics will be the program’s focal point moving forward.
“Academics and football are not competing priorities in our program — they are the same priority,” Gray said in a statement after the NCAA penalties were announced. “We’ve put systems in place for execution and accountability every day. This ban doesn’t stop us from impacting lives or building toward our ultimate goal of earning degrees.”
School wants long-term academic stability
Despite the setback, Johnson assured trustees and alumni that the institution remains focused on long-term stability.
“This is about more than football,” she said. “It’s about our student-athletes and ensuring we create a model that aligns success in academics with performance on the field.”
The Rattlers will still play a full regular schedule in 2026, beginning Aug. 29 at home against Albany State and ending Nov. 21 in the Florida Classic against Bethune-Cookman.