FAMU football charting path for academic turnaround after NCAA ban

Yahoo Sports2h ago11 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Florida A&M football faces a postseason ban until 2026 due to low Academic Progress Rate scores. The program is under Level Two NCAA sanctions and will not participate in the 2027 spring practice.

Key points

FAMU football faces a postseason ban until 2026
The program is under Level Two NCAA sanctions
Low Academic Progress Rate scores are the cause of sanctions
Head coach Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. is leading the team
FAMU will not participate in 2027 spring practice

Mentioned in this story

Quinn Fordham Gray Sr.

Florida A&M Rattlers

Whether an institutional or student-athlete issue, or both, the fact of the matter is that academics have burned the Florida A&M football program for two decades.

Currently, the Rattlers are under Level Two NCAA sanctions that have placed them on a postseason ban for 2026 and outlawed participation in 2027 spring practice due to low Academic Progress Rate scores.

“The APR news is what it is. We’re not going to harp on that,” head coach Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. told the Eddie Jackson 220 Quarterback Club on Wednesday, May 13.

“We’re going to move forward.”

Florida A&M Rattlers head football coach Quinn Fordham Gray Sr. stands at Galimore-Powell Fieldhouse on campus in Tallahassee, Florida. Gray, a former quarterback for the Rattlers, was named head coach on Dec. 23, 2025. He was previously the head coach of the Albany State Golden Rams.

Launched in 2004, APR is the NCAA’s real-time metric for tracking the academic eligibility, retention, and graduation of Division I scholarship student-athletes. Teams must score a 930.

The NCAA hammered the Rattlers for finishing the 2024-2025 athletic and academic year with a 918. It was a near-20-point improvement from scoring a 901 in 2023-2024, but not enough to avoid the Level Two restriction.

Q&A

What are the NCAA sanctions affecting FAMU football?

FAMU football is currently under Level Two NCAA sanctions, which include a postseason ban until 2026 and a prohibition from participating in the 2027 spring practice.

Why is FAMU football facing a postseason ban?

The postseason ban is due to low Academic Progress Rate scores, which have been an issue for the program over the past two decades.

Who is the head coach of FAMU football?

The head coach of FAMU football is Quinn Fordham Gray Sr., who was named to the position on December 23, 2025.

What steps is FAMU football taking to improve academics?

FAMU football is focused on moving forward and addressing academic issues, although specific strategies have not been detailed.