Tallahassee, Fla. | A new coach is commanding the defensive line at Florida A&M, and it's his personal mission to develop the unit into more than disciplined student-athletes. They will be men -- prepared to take on anything the world may bring.
Meet assistant coach
Milton Patterson.
"We are a talented group, but talent isn't enough by itself," he said. "We have to develop that mental discipline as well as composure. They are young men, and instilling in them the importance of making the right decisions will carry over not only onto the field but in life."
Patterson joined the Rattler coaching staff in late February of 2021, following a two-year stint at Fayetteville State, where he held the title of defensive coordinator. Stops at Clark Atlanta, Alabama State, Mississippi Valley State, and his alma mater Jackson State led to his current position at FAMU, and he's relishing every moment.
It's been a near-seamless transition, and the last few months have been focused on building a rapport with his lineman. There have been 26 practices (and counting) between the spring and preseason camps that have allowed the two to learn from each other and work on building trust; in his words, "the guys have been buying in."
According to Patterson, to be a FAMU defensive lineman:
"You have to be coachable. That's extremely important in any room. And then it's cliché, but you have to have those three weapons, your eyes, your hands, and your feet, and know how to use them. Outside of that, you have to understand that it takes filling up the tank every single day and emptying it out by the end of practice. If not, you're not giving out maximum effort for yourself; you're not giving it for the unit, and you're definitely not giving it for the team."
Several veterans on the Rattlers' active roster live up to Patterson's standard, and no one should be surprised that
Renaldo Flowers Jr. is the first to come to mind.
"He has been a staple in this room well before I got here," Patterson said. "He's just been carrying that leadership role in every way possible. When guys fall out of shape or out of line, he's the one to snap them back and make them realize what we're doing this for.
"One thing you can't coach is experience, guys that have been in the room like him,
Abu Bangura, and
Richard Summers. Two guys that are emerging are
Gentle Hunt and
Stanley Mentor. The work ethic that these young men put in every single day, they push themselves to new levels. Talent wise we have a big room."
#99
Renaldo Flowers Jr. | 5-10 | 245 | Gr. | Miami, Fla.
2021: Spring 2021 All-SWAC Football Second Team Defense
2019: Recorded 23 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and four sacks.
#90
Richard Summers | 6-2 | 345 | R-Jr. | Tallahassee, Fla.
2019: Finished the season with 12 tackles.
#95 |
Abu Bangura | 6-3 | 255 | R-Jr. | Stockbridge, Ga.
2019: Notched a pair of tackles in two appearances.
#92
Gentle Hunt | 5-11 | 290 | R-Fr. | High Springs, Fla
#98
Stanley Mentor | 6-2 | 320 | R-Jr. | Orlando, Fla.
Of the 23 Ratters listed as a defensive lineman or defensive end, nine have freshman standing (redshirt or true) and could potentially receive their first taste of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
"Those COVID-year freshmen have came in and had a spring underneath their belt, so they've been able to get acclimated with some of the techniques, concepts, and verbiage that I use. For the new guys, it takes a different approach as far as being hands-on with them and meeting 1-on-1 in the classroom to make sure they have the base tools to understand what it takes to be a Division I lineman. My father used to tell me all the time, 'This game is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical.' So, we're building that mental component up for those guys."
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