Florida A&M's Willie Simmons guided his team to a Celebration Bowl earlier this month and now has a Power Five opportunity waiting for him. Willie Simmons has reportedly been offered the position of Running Backs coach at Duke University under new head coach Manny Diaz.
Diaz was hired in early December, replacing former Blue Devils coach Mike Elko who was named as Texas A&M's new head coach. News of the offer circulated around the HBCU community via sourcing from prominent HBCU media personality Scottay of Offscript TV & HBCU Gameday contributor Vaughn Wilson on Thursday. Friday morning, 247 Sports National College Football reporter Matt Zenitz corroborated the reports.
Duke is targeting Florida A&M head coach Willie Simmons for its running backs coach job, sources tell @247sports.
Simmons has led Florida A&M to a 39-8 record the last four years, including a 12-1 mark this year. Simmons and Manny Diaz previously worked together at Middle… pic.twitter.com/EcoRtU9Ol9
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 29, 2023
Willie Simmons has seen massive success as the coach of Florida A&M. He joined the program in 2018, guiding the Rattlers to winning seasons each year he's been at the helm of the program. He is 45-13 in his tenure at FAMU and led the Rattlers during a transition from the Mideastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). Florida A&M has only lost two games since the move to the SWAC, both to the Deion Sanders-led Jackson State Tigers in 2021 (7-5) and 2022 (59-3)
Simmons has ACC experience having played for Clemson. During his time at Clemson, he showcased his skills as a quarterback in 22 games during the early 2000s. He completed 197 out of 375 passes for 2,410 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Following his playing career, Simmons transitioned to coaching as a graduate assistant for the Tigers.
There is a prominent connection between Simmons & Diaz. The duo worked together at Middle Tennessee State University from 2007-2009, as Diaz was the defensive coordinator and Simmons served as running backs coach, passing game coordinator, and then offensive coordinator.
This decision is of interest to the HBCU football world, as Florida A&M named several Florida State and FBS players during their National Signing Day recruiting haul and looked poised to enter the 2024 season as the undeniable championship favorite for the second season in a row. A Simmons departure from the squad could prove to be costly, causing players to enter the transfer portal and valuable members of the coaching staff to jump ship.
Florida A&M students, alumni, and supporters are rallying to make sure that the Rattlers have an ambitious offer to keep Simmons as a coach, even starting the hashtag #securewilliesimmons on Twitter/X. Only time will tell what will happen with Simmons as Duke pursues him but it appears as if things are moving rather quickly.
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