Florida A&M starter Isaiah Knowles is out for the rest of the season with a thumb injury, and the Rattlers will face No. 7 Miami on Thursday without the quarterback expected to run Quinn Gray's offense.
BREAKING NEWS: FAMU starter Isaiah Knowles is out for the rest of the season. The Rattlers face Miami on Thursday.https://t.co/BFaJVZGtXJ pic.twitter.com/KdF3v2GJzt
— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) September 9, 2026
Florida A&M QB Isaiah Knowles is out for the season
The injury occurred in the second half of Florida A&M's 31-13 loss to South Carolina State in the Orange Blossom Classic. Backup QB Dustin Fletcher replaced him and completed six of eight passes, but the Rattlers could not generate enough offense to keep up.
The loss ended Knowles' lone season at FAMU after two games. He arrived from Albany State with one of the strongest resumes among HBCU quarterbacks. The two-time reigning SIAC Offensive Player of the Year helped lead the Golden Rams to an HBCU national championship and finished that part of his career with 5,585 passing yards while completing 63% of his throws.
His move to Florida A&M came shortly after the school hired Gray, creating a reunion between quarterback and coach. Knowles opened the season with a 20-7 win over Albany State, completing 14 of 23 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. Against South Carolina State he was 7 of 22 for 94 yards before leaving the game.
The immediate question is who takes the snaps on Thursday. Fletcher played in the last game, but it appears as though the staff is also considering Alabama State transfer James Hayes.
Hayes, a Fort Lauderdale-area product, transferred from Alabama State after seeing a limited amount of action there.
Fletcher began his college career at Northern Illinois. As a true freshman in 2020 he appeared in three games and rushed for 99 yards. He redshirted in 2021, then transferred to The Citadel. He finished 2023 completing 22 of 36 passes for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception before a concussion against South Carolina State ended his season after he had won the starting job. In 2024 he played eight games, completed 5 of 9 passes for 43 yards, and rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns. He entered 2025 as The Citadel's projected starter but missed the opener with a non-throwing hand injury. He transferred to Florida A&M in 2026.
Miami is coming off of a dominant 45-6 win at Stanford in Week 1. Florida A&M will receive a $720,000 guarantee for the game and an additional $40,000 for the Marching 100 band's attendance.
Add us as a preferred source on Google