FAMU Head Coach Leaves For Grambling State

By Steven J. Gaither

Almost one year to the day he was hired as head coach at FAMU, it appears Patrick Crarey has a new HBCU home at Grambling State.

Crarey has reportedly been hired to replace Donte’ Jackson who was hired at Alabama A&M last month after eight seasons at Grambling State. Crarey was identified as a prime candidate by Liv Antilla and reported as the hire by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The move to Grambling state comes on the heels of an interesting 50 weeks in Tallahassee. Crarey was initially named as FAMU’s head coach by Tiffani-Dawn Sykes and agreed to a three-year deal. However, the FAMU Board of Trustees pushed his contract into the summer and several board members openly questioned his credentials. A one-year, $150k contract was eventually approved by the BOT in late July.

Crarey led FAMU to a 13-16 record, winning 10 games in the SWAC after the program had won just seven games all the previous year. FAMU attempted to offer Crarey a two-year extension worth up to $170k earlier this year. The posting for the Grambling State job started at $230k.

Before coming to the HBCU ranks, Patrick Crarey built an impressive coaching resume marked by consistent success and player development. Most recently, he led St. Thomas University to back-to-back standout seasons. In 2023-24, the Bobcats finished 22-9, clinched the Sun Conference regular season title, and reached the second round of the NAIA Tournament, ending the season ranked 21st nationally. Crarey was named Sun Conference Coach of the Year, with five of his players earning All-Conference honors and standout Milton Matthews being selected to the NAIA All-American Second Team.

In 2022-23, Crarey guided St. Thomas to a program-record 26 wins and a Round of 16 finish in the NAIA Tournament. His squad set school records in home wins (15-1) and three-pointers made, with Dalon Dean and Milton Matthews becoming the first players in school history to hit 100 threes in a season. Fred Mulbah also set a single-season assist record with 241.

Crarey began his tenure at St. Thomas in 2021-22, producing four All-Conference players and three future professionals. Previously, he spent a decade at Washington Adventist University, where he won a national title in 2014 and earned two Coach of the Year awards while sending numerous players to pro careers across the globe.

Now he will take over a Grambling State program propped up by Jackson, another former NAIA coach that made the transition to success at an HBCU on the Division I level.