Florida A&M starting quarterback Armond Parker has flashed potential in his true freshman year.
Coming in relief duty as thumb injuries have sidelined initial starter Isaiah Knowles and backup Dustin Fletcher for a significant time, Parker has started the Rattlers’ last three games.
He’s showcased a strong arm, a gunslinger’s mentality, and dual-threat ability in first-year head coach Quinn Fordham Gray Sr.’s offense.
But the 18-year-old out of Georgia’s Locust Grove High School has also experienced growing pains.
Last Saturday was probably Parker’s worst statistical college football game, going 11-for-27 for 163 passing yards, but tossed three interceptions and lost a fumbled snap in the Rattlers’ 27-17 loss at Jackson State’s homecoming, the consensus No. 1 team in the USA TODAY HBCU Football Rankings, Black College Football Poll, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference East division.
Parker also rushed for a five-yard touchdown.
“At the end of that game, I just wrapped my arms around him and let him know that ‘We love you, we’re going to continue to love you, going to continue to play this game.’ And ultimately, you’ve got to tell him we’ve got to protect the football better,” Gray said.
The struggles at JSU followed Parker’s four-touchdown heroics for the Rattlers in their Oct. 9, 28-27 road homecoming football game win at Alabama State.
Gray added context that the late loss to JSU wasn’t solely on his freshman quarterback’s shoulders.
Wide receiver drops and the fumbled snap when Parker didn’t even call for the ball from the center were also contributing factors.
“He did some good things,” Gray said. “And as I told the team, we didn’t help him out in some situations. You’re talking about an ability to play complete football when it comes down to it, including him, including everybody else that’s around him.”
Parker’s growth under center continues this Saturday when he makes his FAMU (2-5, 1-2 in SWAC) homecoming debut against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (3-3, 1-2 in SWAC) for a Week 8 SWAC matchup.
Parker enters with a 54% completion rate, 925 passing yards, eight touchdowns, eight interceptions, and has rushed for two touchdowns.
The Golden Lions have the worst pass defense of the 12 SWAC teams. Additionally, they are near the bottom of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, allowing opponents to average 320.8 passing yards on them. Pine Bluff also has a SWAC-low 11 sacks.
“That freshman quarterback is starting to pick it up,” Pine Bluff head coach Alonzo Hampton said of Parker. “They’ve got some wideouts that if you close your eyes, it’s a touchdown.”
The sold-out FAMU-UAPB game on Ken Riley Field at Bragg Memorial Stadium starts at 3 p.m., will be televised on HBCU GO and on Tallahassee radio airwaves via 96.1 JAMZ.
Florida A&M (2-5, 1-2 in SWAC) vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff (3-3, 1-2 in SWAC) ― Week 8, SWAC
- When: Saturday, Oct. 24 at 3 p.m.
- Where: Bragg Memorial Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
- TV/Radio: HBCU GO, 96.1 JAMZ
Florida A&M football scores and full 2026 schedule
Current record: 2-5, 1-2 in SWAC
All times are Eastern
- Saturday, Aug. 29: FAMU 20, Albany State 7
- Sunday, Sept. 6 (Orange Blossom Classic): South Carolina State 31, FAMU 13
- Thursday, Sept. 10: Miami 77, FAMU 7
- Saturday, Sept. 19: Tennessee State 29, FAMU 26
- Saturday, Sept. 26: Alabama A&M 40, FAMU 21
- Saturday, Oct. 3: BYE
- Friday, Oct. 9: FAMU 28, Alabama State 27
- Saturday, Oct. 17: Jackson State 27, FAMU 17
- Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (SWAC/Homecoming), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Southern (SWAC), 3 p.m., HBCU GO
- Saturday, Nov. 7: at Alcorn State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 14: vs. Mississippi Valley State (SWAC), 3 p.m., SWAC TV
- Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Bethune-Cookman (SWAC/Florida Classic), 3:30 p.m., ESPN+
Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat under the USA TODAY Network.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU football QB Armond Parker experiences freshman highs and lows