{"id":879455,"date":"2026-05-01T09:27:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/879455\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T09:27:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T09:27:41","slug":"charlie-ward-details-famu-basketballs-ncaa-transfer-portal-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/879455\/","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Ward details FAMU basketball’s NCAA Transfer Portal plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s to Charlie Ward\u2019s<\/a> first full offseason as Florida A&M head men\u2019s basketball coach<\/a>.<\/p>\n

During the spring and upcoming summer months, Ward will be recruiting his second-year roster for the 2026-2027 season. It will be a tough act to follow after the head coach\u2019s inaugural Rattlers<\/a> team reached the Southwestern Athletic Conference semifinals<\/a>, two wins short of appearing in the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n

\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida A&M head men’s basketball coach Charlie Ward coaches the Rattlers during offseason workouts at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida.<\/p>\n

The 1993 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and former New York Knicks<\/a> point guard, now a college basketball coach, is no longer learning on the job. He says he and his staff have a better understanding of what to ask recruits during the vetting process.<\/p>\n

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That includes considering the student-athletes\u2019 NCAA Academic Progress Rate scores.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, it\u2019s about getting the right players in here \u2015 mindset-wise, academics,\u201d Ward told the Tallahassee Democrat in a one-on-one interview from his FAMU office.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd every kid won\u2019t be academically strong. But we want to make sure we\u2019re doing our part in getting good young men willing to put forth the effort in all areas to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the revolving door of college sports rosters, FAMU has seen a handful of NCAA Transfer Portal exits since the season ended in March. Outgoing transfers include shooting guard Anquan Boldin Jr.<\/a> and stretch four Kaleb Washington<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The portal closed for player entry on April 21.<\/p>\n

FAMU looks to replace graduated players and portal exits by landing size and versatile talent who can plug and play anywhere in lineups.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a mixture of players that can play multiple positions, which is something we looked to do this past year. But didn\u2019t realize we didn\u2019t have much size,\u201d Ward broke down his recruiting philosophy. \u201cSo we just want to make sure that we have a roster that can compete, not just in the SWAC, but non-conference as well. We want to be able to win some of those games.\u201d<\/p>\n

FAMU basketball lands commitments for Charlie Ward’s second season<\/p>\n

Hillsborough Community College guard Chandler Davis committed to the Rattlers<\/a> on April 17.<\/p>\n

The Tampa native averaged 21.4 points, eight rebounds, and 3.9 assists as a sophomore. It earned the 6-foot-5 bucket getter a spot on the Florida College System Activities Association postseason awards team.<\/p>\n

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Ward cannot comment on commits until they\u2019re signed.<\/p>\n

In contrast, Ward made a splash in high school recruiting with the signing of four-star point guard Jayden \u2018JJ\u2019 Joseph<\/a> last November. He picked FAMU over offers from Florida State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, the University of Central Florida, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s still a great fight because there are so many high school kids out there that are getting left out,\u201d Ward explained. \u201cAnd you have so many spots on your roster to make it happen because you\u2019re trying to get veteran guys to be able to compete at a higher level.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jayden<\/p>\n

Jayden ‘JJ’ Joseph, ranked a four-star prospect in the 2026 senior class by ESPN, committed to Florida A&M men’s basketball and head coach Charlie Ward. The point guard, from Hialeah, Florida, had offers from Florida State, UCF, Oregon, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, USC, and others.<\/p>\n

Joseph is a Hialeah native, but spent his senior year playing at Gillion Academy in Virginia after spending the first three years at West Oaks Academy. Ward first discovered Joseph when his former Florida High School varsity basketball team faced West Oaks while Joseph was there.<\/p>\n

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\u201cTo have JJ and for him to commit to us early based on relationships was big for us,\u201d Ward said of the 6-foot-2 point guard. \u201cHe has a little toughness about him, and he\u2019ll come in and compete for the point guard position. He\u2019ll make mistakes, just like everybody else, but the goal is he\u2019s a guy willing to learn and grow and be able to handle what we would need to be a good piece for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

FAMU basketball to retain key players from SWAC Tournament run\"Florida<\/p>\n

Florida A&M Rattlers guard Antonio Baker Jr. handles the basketball versus a Jackson State Tigers defender in an NCAA Southwestern Athletic Conference men’s basketball game at the Al Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center in Tallahassee, Florida, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026.<\/p>\n

Returning to the Rattlers are guard Antonio Baker Jr., and bigmen Tuscan Onuoha and Miles Ndalama. Ndalama\u2019s return is contingent on whether he receives an NCAA waiver to play next season.<\/p>\n

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\u201cRetention is always important. If you can get people back multiple years, that gives you some stability, consistency,\u201d Ward said. \u201cIf you can retain three or four guys from the roster, that\u2019s a win for a program. That\u2019s the culture we want to build. We want to provide a space where they feel comfortable being here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Baker, 6-foot-3, averaged 9.9 points last year and put up 13.3 points per game in FAMU\u2019s final eight games.<\/p>\n

Onuoha, a forward, and Ndalama, a center, are both 6-foot-11.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no different this year,\u201d Ward said of his ideal roster makeup. \u201cTo be able to have three 6\u201910\u201d, 6\u201911\u201d centers that can do some specific things and then have some length from wings, and the guards have a little size.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gerald Thomas, III, is a multi-time national award-winning reporter for his coverage of the\u00a0Florida A&M Rattlers<\/a>\u00a0at the Tallahassee Democrat.<\/p>\n

Follow his award-winning coverage on\u00a0RattlerNews.com<\/a>\u00a0and contact him via email at\u00a0GDThomas@Tallahassee.com<\/a>\u00a0or on the app formerly known as Twitter\u00a0@3peatgee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU basketball’s Charlie Ward wants versatile players in transfer portal<\/a><\/p>\n