Willie Simmons' departure stings Florida A&M again as multiple transfers from Florida State have de-committed from the school. Running back Rodney Hill and offensive lineman Qae'Shon Sapp re-opened their recruitment statuses following Simmons' decision to leave Florida A&M to become the running backs coach at Duke.

“After much consideration, I would like to announce I have decided to reopen my recruitment in the transfer portal,” Hill wrote on a post on ‘X'. “I look forward to finding a new home soon.

Sapp, who also announced his decision on ‘X', was much more direct in his approach.

“I will be opening back up my recruitment,” he wrote.

Hill, a 5'9″, 190-pound running back, spent two seasons with the Seminoles before entering the portal. Across his two seasons, he turned 77 carries into 334 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught five passes for 83 yards. In Hill's best game this season, he ran for 30 yards and a touchdown against #16 Duke in a 38-20 victory over the Blue Devils.

Coming out of high school, the 6'4″, 325-pound Sapp was a four-star offensive lineman. He was ranked as the 12th offensive guard prospect in the nation and the 27th best offensive tackle prospect. He redshirted for the entire 2022-23 season, but made his debut in a 49-17 victory against Louisiana.

The addition of Florida State transfers to the Florida A&M roster drew excitement from Rattler fans as well as the HBCU community as FAMU gears up to have a competitive out-of-conference schedule to kick off the 2024 season. Only time will tell if the Rattlers will keep their other standout commits and transfers we move deeper into the off-season.

Florida A&M is scheduled to face Norfolk State in the 2024 MEAC/SWAC Challenge on August 24,2024. The game with the new look Rattlers is scheduled to broadcasted on the Disney/ESPN family of networks.