Willie Simmons leaving FAMU is nothing short of a nightmare to the Rattlers family. But the head coach has received an offer from Duke University to become their next running back coach.
There’s no doubt that Coach Willie Simmons loves his FAMU Family. He was appointed as the head coach in 2018 and has done a fantastic job of taking the program to the next level.
Simmons’ team defeated Howard, 30-26, to win the college’s first Celebration Bowl title. And right after the win, there were rumors that many Power 5 colleges wanted his services.
Though from his social media handle, it looked like Simmons would stay, an offer from Duke University certainly sounds tempting. Many fans believe Willie Simmons is an underrated coach and deserves to go to the next level. Only time can tell whether this time around, Willie Simmons can be prized out from FAMU.
Is Willie Simmons Leaving FAMU 2024?
Willie Simmons leaving FAMU is the big breaking news that has sent college football fans into a frenzy on X (formerly Twitter). Only on December 17, Simmons assured the Florida A&M fans that he will return for another year, but it looks like he is ready for a big move.
Coach Willie shared a GIF and captioned the post, “We do not rebuild, we RELOAD!!! Another BIG FISH is coming home!!!”
After winning the school’s first-ever Celebration Bowl title, Simmons was honored with a lifetime membership to the Tallahassee QB Club. The head coach thanked the community and said the championship title is for the entire community.
But on the night of December 28, as the news of him leaving FAMU for Duke broke, football fans weren’t surprised.
One fan wrote, “When you hear Willie Simmons talk and combine that with his sustained success at FAMU, it is not a surprise P5 jobs have come calling. That is the way coaching goes.”
Only a day earlier, the HBCU Gameday YouTube page said negotiations needed to take place between FAMU and Willie Simmons to sure him up.
VR Wilson said only two years ago, Willie Simmons had received an offer from South Carolina, but he didn’t leave for the sake of his family. Wilson also said he had heard rumors of colleges lining up offers from coach Willie.
In their conversation, VR Wilson also said it wouldn’t be surprising if Wilson made the move. He loves FAMU but also has a family to raise.
Will Simmons Accept Duke University Offer?
The big rumor is that Duke has lined up the offer for running back coach for Willie Simmons. Though it’s a downgrade in position, it’s Duke, a Power 5 school.
The HBCU Sports X page gave its opinion on Simmons leaving for Duke. The page has 24.5k followers and is a main hub for the HBCU sports information.
It wrote, “If a Power 5 school can lure the North Dakota State head coach away for an assistant job, then it’s not unbelievable to think that a successful HBCU coach won’t receive overtures from schools at that level.”
Currently, Trooper Taylor is the interim head coach at Duke University and also their running back coach. There are rumors that Taylor is set to reunite with former Duke head coach Mike Elko at A&M University.
But there is also a high chance that Taylor will become the permanent head coach at Duke, and he will have Simmons as the running back coach.
