Entering his 6th season, head coach Elijah Williams has a 51-9 record and has turned the Jones Fightin’ Tigers into one of the more respected programs in the Orlando area. In 2020, Jones went 9-0 before losing 40-24 to Tampa Jesuit in the playoffs.
Even though the Tigers had a successful season, it was a little disappointing after falling in the Class 5A state championship the year prior. Don’t think coach Williams and his team will be going anywhere anytime soon, however, as they have a lot of talent returning, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Look for Jones to make a serious run at their first state championship in the school’s history this upcoming fall.
Offense
The Jones offense had a well-balanced attack during the 2020 season. They averaged 26.1 points per game and 395.1 total yards per game as well. The average passing and rushing yards were nearly identical, with 194.6 passing yards a game and 200.6 rushing yards per game.
Last year, the Tigers used two different quarterbacks. With Tysan Robbins (Bethune Cookman) graduating, look for 2022 Kylan Calvez (6’3” 185 pounds) to have a breakout year and lead this offense to lighting up scoreboards. Calvez has offers from schools including Middle Tennessee State, Kansas, Arkansas, and Liberty. Watching the film, you will see that Calvez is an extremely underrated quarterback, with fantastic running ability and the capacity to throw accurately on the run. Calvez also has a really strong arm to go along with his other intangibles.
In the backfield for the Tigers will be 2022 running back Da’Quan Harris (5’9” 190 pounds) who holds an offer from Florida Atlantic. He had 701 yards and 7 touchdowns on 61 carries. Harris is explosive with his jump cuts as well as being a powerful runner.
The receiving core for the Tigers will be a strong suit as they’ll be led by 2022 3-star A’Ceon Cobb (6’2” 190 pounds) and 2023 Jabari Smith (5’10” 165 pounds). Cobb is a speedy receiver who can make tough contested catches in traffic, resulting in 30 catches for 655 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2020. Cobb has 8 offers from schools including Arkansas and Kentucky. Smith is a very smooth route runner who had 36 catches for 473 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has offers from Florida International, Florida Atlantic, South Florida, and Central Florida.
Jones also has a very talented tight end in 3-star 2022 Anthony Rucker (6’3” 240 pounds) who has 10 offers from schools including Kentucky and Louisville. He’s a big body who is also a willing blocker. He had opportunities to show off his soft hands last year, having 10 catches for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Look for this offense to be explosive with Calvez leading the way this fall, and for them to light up scoreboards across the Orlando area.
Defense
Defensively, the Jones secondary had a great 2020 season, forcing 15 interceptions. The defense as a whole averaged giving up 17.2 points per game.
The Tigers defensive line will be led by 2023 Moses Ezeechi (6’0” 215 pounds) who had a big-time presence in their spring game. He’s very powerful coming off the edge and when he gets ahold of someone, as an efficient tackler, doesn’t allow them any further progress.
The defensive unit will have extremely athletic 2022 Daniel Mosley (5’10” 180 pounds) at the linebacker position. He is fast, fills gaps with his superior football instincts, and exhibits impressive strength for a player his size.
The secondary will be losing some studs in Rickey Smith (Purdue), Delmontre Pryor (Southern Illinois), and Darrian Hawkins (St. Thomas FL) but still have talent returning that will look to keep that elite status for this Jones defensive back crew. 2022 cornerback Antonio Wheeler (6’0” 170 pounds) is a corner that lives for contact. He loves hitting receivers and it’s easy to notice, watching him play. Wheeler has offers from Florida Atlantic, Florida International, and South Florida. 2022 Stephen Sparrow (6’1” 186 pounds) played running back last year for the Tigers, but had a pick 6 in their spring game and performed well in camps as a defensive back. Sparrow has offers from Coastal Carolina, Liberty, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, and South Florida.
A lot of the Tigers success will be contingent on if this defense can be formidable, due to how explosive their offense will be.
2021 Season Outlook
Jones will begin their season on August 27th at home against a tough Dr. Phillips team. They will face additional challenges this season playing Edgewater and national power IMG Academy. If the Tigers can weather the storm with a tough schedule, then don’t be surprised if they can make a legitimate run at their first state championship in school history.
