Amid Jackson water crisis, FAMU eligibility concerns, Orange Blossom Classic to bring ‘hope’
Offense and defense took a back seat to off-the-field issues Friday when players and coaches from Florida A&M and Jackson State met with the media ahead of Sunday’s Orange Blossom Classic.
Even before the trip to South Florida, JSU players have been confined to a hotel as the majority of Jackson, Mississippi, residents are left without running water after flooding that aggravated problems at one of the city’s two water-treatment plants. In Tallahassee, nearly 90 players penned a letter to FAMU president Larry Robinson that claimed mistakes within the school’s compliance office resulted in 26 players being ineligible during the Rattlers’ season opener against North Carolina. Despite the adversity facing both schools, JSU coach Deion Sanders praised both programs’ resiliency.
“When we become national news, I would love it to be all positive, but thank God we’re in the national news and we can turn it around to something very positive,” Sanders said, adding that he loved the letter because “the kids are standing up for what is right.” On the topic of Jackson’s water crisis, Sanders wants Sunday’s game to provide the city with a sense of “hope.”
“We just hope that we can afford to give the people an escape.”
The Tigers are looking for back-to-back wins at the Orange Blossom Classic, which returned in 2021 after a near 50-year hiatus. For the Rattlers, whose sole in-conference loss last year came against the Tigers, a victory over JSU could be the difference-maker in the race for the Southwest Athletic Conference championship. That path, however, got a lot more difficult with the loss of All-American linebacker Isaiah Land, one of the 26 players ruled ineligible during FAMU’s 56-24 loss to UNC. FAMU coach Willie Simmons told the Miami Herald that it’s unclear if Land, considered one of the top defensive players in the FCS, will play Sunday.
“It’s a moving target,” Simmons said. “We’ll keep our ears open to hopefully hear back soon.”
In the meantime, Rattlers linebacker Nadarius Fagan said the team is just focused on the Sunday’s game, a mind-set that Simmons praised.
“That’s out of our hands right now,” Fagan said.
Added Simmons: “Obviously it has been tough dealing with some of our key players and some of key backups not being able to travel to Chapel Hill last weekend, the uncertainty of this weekend and whether they’ll be cleared to play but again this is a resilient group of young men. I’ve never been more proud of a football team.”
As of Friday, it’s unclear how many of the 26 previously ineligible players will suit up Sunday. The Tallahassee Democrat reported Wednesday that defensive end Kyle Jackson was the only player who had his eligibility restored.
The Rattlers aren’t the only ones that could potentially be without a key cog. South Florida native and consensus five-star 2022 recruit Travis Hunter had a walking boot at SWAC Media Day in late July due to what he called a sprained ankle. Sanders considered Hunter, who shocked the world in Dec. 2021 when he decommitted from Florida State in favor of JSU, “day-to-day.”
“We got to see how he continues to practice, make sure he can be Travis,” Sanders said. “I wouldn’t dare want to give you someone other than Travis Hunter and [what he’s] capable of doing Sunday.”
This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 3:09 PM.
