Florida A&M Rattlers working with restricted practice time

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Alex Wood is working with limited practice time now that the school year is underway due to NCAA sanctions brought on by low Academic Progress Rate scores.

The scores are a reflection of previous years, Wood said, and not indicative of how the Rattlers are performing in the classroom now. Still, the Rattlers are restricted to 16 practice hours a week, and Wood said the team is making the most of the time it can be on the field.

“We’ll review the academics bi-weekly,” Wood said.

“We didn’t do that in the summer. We had midterm grade checks in the summer. But we’ll go bi-weekly, plus the midterm grade checks for the fall and the spring. Our kids are competing in the classroom. This group of guys, our GPA is not where we want it to be, but it’s on the rise, for sure.”

The Rattlers open the season Sept. 5 against USF.

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