New Jacksonville State commit Kamari Stephens finally spoke about his decision to transfer from Florida A&M. Stephens, an All-American defensive lineman, spoke with the Tallahassee Democrat about his decision to head to the FBS.

“Things just got very hard for me over the summer at FAMU. I went to talk to [head coach Willie Simmons] and there was just nothing that could be done. So, I had to do what was best for me and ended up at Jacksonville State. I liked what they had to offer. It's a totally different culture from Tallahassee and I just felt like that's what I needed.”

This wasn't his first time in the transfer portal. Stephens originally entered the portal on May 1 but recommitted to FAMU on May 31. According to Stephens, he drew interest from several FBS teams, including Jacksonville State. Upon recommitment to Florida A&M, he said that none of the schools possessed what FAMU had.

“I entered the portal just to explore my options and see what was out there,” Stephens told the Tallahassee Democrat about his initial decision to stay at FAMU. “But at the end of the day, when I saw what other schools had to offer, none of them could offer me what FAMU could.”

But, Kamari Stephens then reentered the transfer portal on July 10 and officially committed to Conference USA's Jacksonville State on July 24. Although he left FAMU, Stephens, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, still has love for Rattler Nation.

“I miss my brothers and I still talk to them. I apologize that I had to leave y'all, but I had to take this gamble and bet on myself. But them boys better go win that ‘ship starting off with Jackson State. We talked about this coming in. No if, ands, or buts.”