When a freshman walks onto the field on his first day of football practice at Jones High each season, he receives a message loud and clear, one that will resonate with every player throughout his or her four years in the program.
At Jones, players are not just there to play football, they are also there to learn, go to class, get good grades, respect others, grow into young men and go to college.
Elijah Williams coached at Jones for seven years, and in that time he sent 111 football players to college to develop not only their playing careers but also their academic futures. This is not limited to large colleges only. They are large schools, small schools, and inter-schools. It’s the SEC, the Big Ten, the ACC, the MEAC, the SWAC and many other lesser-known destinations… oh, and yes, even the Ivy League.
Early NCAA National Signing Day is Wednesday, and two more players will sign National Letters of Intent with defensive lineman De’Antre Robinson headed to Texas and Jerrian Parker returning to Southern Illinois. Several other labels were registered in February.
This past graduating class saw 21 Jones football players sign National Letters of Intent. The record year was the class of 2017 when 25 players entered the university.
Jones High School website since 2017
“That’s our first message from the jump, is that everything we do is going to be college-based,” Williams said. “We know there are a lot of young people who won’t go to college, but here at Jones you’ll be ready to go to college. It’s all we do.
“The most important thing is college courses and making sure they have the 16 core classes they need to take to qualify. That’s why it’s great to have our administration involved here — from the principal to the guidance counselors to the teachers… everyone.”
For Williams, and most other high school football coaches, they try to preach one thing with the college goal in mind. In fact, it’s one word: free.
Most of those 111 players who went on to play college football did so on scholarships. This is not tuition, nor room and board. nothing. free. And that’s what really resonates with these players’ parents or guardians.
Williams emphasizes another point when they come to Jones. It’s reality time from the moment you put on the pads. Every player growing up has dreams and fantasies of playing in the NFL. Forget it, says Williams. It’s time to focus on real goals and real achievements. Graduating and making something of their lives are the main points. Football is just a bonus every Friday night.
In his seven seasons, of those 111 players, only one made it to the NFL. Kirby Joseph is a second-year safety with the Detroit Lions. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie teams by multiple publications after last season.
Williams is proud of his former student.
“Kirby was very humble. He plays football for all the right reasons,” Williams said. “He doesn’t care about things like Instagram and all that. He wanted to be the best as a student and as a player.
“He was always on time, never missed practice, never missed classes at school. He never missed anything. He’s a humble guy. When he comes back to school now, all the coaches light up and the teachers are so happy and excited every time he walks in.” From this section.
This year could see several other Jones alumni enter the NFL. Offensive lineman Evan Anderson (FAU), safety PJ Jules (Southern Illinois), offensive lineman Devin Hayes (Middle Tennessee State) and a few other prospects could hear their names called in the spring draft.
First things first, however. At Jones, you have to walk the line. If your grades aren’t up to par, or you break team rules, your spot on Friday night will be on the sidelines. It doesn’t matter if you are the best player on the team. Williams also, regardless of the infraction, does not kick players off the team. Makes them watch. His philosophy is that if he kicks a player off the team, that kid might end up on the streets. This is what he wants to avoid with all his players.
“That’s one of the reasons we started the season 1-3,” Williams said of his players having to sit out games. “We went to Maryland to play good advisor and we had seven starters who didn’t play. After they got things right, we never lost again, until the semifinals in Homestead.
Players at Jones not only go to college and mature into young men, they win. Jones has reached the state semifinals in four of the past five years. The only season they missed was the coronavirus-crazy 2020. In 2019, Jones lost in the state championship game to perennial Miami Northwestern 34-17.
On Friday, Williams was hosting several former students who visited the school on the semester break. Derrick Rogers Jr. (Purdue), Anthony Rucker (North Carolina A&T), Aaron Kupp (FAU) and several others sat in Jones’ weight room for an impromptu lunch they delivered.
Rogers had a bit of a tough time qualifying with the NCAA for a scholarship, but Jones’ criteria helped him get into Purdue, and now he’s thriving as a player and student. He started at cornerback for the Boilermakers, and just last week he earned Academic Student/Athlete of the Week honors at Purdue along with two other players.
“It was tough for Duda,” Williams said, using Rogers’ nickname. “He did his homework and was a good student, but he didn’t test well on those timed standardized tests that they have to take,” Williams said. “So his test scores were low and he couldn’t do it, it was just these timed tests. But now he’s at Purdue, one of the best academic schools in the country.”
“Sometimes, kids just need a chance to get away from here, and no matter what they did in high school, no matter their home life or whatever… you give them the chance. …Look what Duda does with his opportunity.”
Rogers is enjoying his time in Purdue and loving life.
“It was good for me. I was really prepared with the way we trained and how coach Will was always hard on us, like he was going to be hard on us so we could actually get used to what it would be like in college, so it wasn’t really new,” he said. Rogers to us. “We just get the message, rather than the tone.
“[Classwork] It was also a big part of it because if I wasn’t used to it, it would have been very difficult once I got there. And it stayed with us throughout all the years. He made sure that if your grades weren’t good, you wouldn’t play. “Maybe you don’t even train.”
Teammate Calvin Francis moved to Orlando from the Turks and Caicos Islands when he was 12, and his transition to the United States was made much easier thanks to Williams and his soccer teammates.
“Once I realized football was what I wanted to do and change my situation, that’s all I focused on — school and football,” said Francis, who played center and guard for Southern Illinois and left there with a master’s degree in finance. “Then I started communicating with a lot of different people, like my teachers Mr. Hans. [Shelton] Louis and Mr. [James] Oti. They connected me with different people in the community.
“I felt like I was always a good student, but Coach Will made sure education was always first.”
Francis, who is now in a management training program with Enterprise Rent-A-Car, has developed into one of Central Florida’s top offensive linemen and was a four-year starter at Williams, first at Oak Ridge, then at Jones.
“Coach Will, I feel like that’s his first plan for all his kids — to go to college and he made that a big deal,” Francis said. “He was always asking us to do schoolwork and make sure our grades were good so we could qualify for the NCAA, and he definitely does a lot of work for his kids with recruiting.
“That’s his number one priority — making sure all his kids have that opportunity.”
For many kids, mixing academics and football is not easy. The initial challenges of high school are not well received by many inner-city youth. Often times, when they become a junior or senior in high school, the challenge of catching up academically becomes too difficult and many football players fail to qualify for the NCAA standards.
Williams makes sure his players don’t fall into that cycle. Another challenge is fending off parents who think their child should be a star quarterback or running back. Williams often sees a player’s future elsewhere, and changes in those positions will benefit players in the long run.
Two years ago, 6-foot-4, 240-pound Dylan Wade transferred to Jones from Ocoee as a starting quarterback. Williams moved Wade to tight end and defensive end. Wade thrived in his new position and ended up signing with Maryland last December. He played in nine games as a tight end at Maryland that year as a freshman and caught one touchdown.
“The biggest problem, and I’m sure all the other trainers share the same issues, is that some street agents and family members think they know more than the trainer,” Williams said. “Everyone thinks their son is great and everyone thinks their son should go to the Power 5, but in reality that’s not the case.
“A lot of times, sure, a certain kid can be a good high school player, but he can get paid by putting his hand in the dirt, or at linebacker. The perfect example is Dylan Wade. Fortunately, Dylan Wade’s parents said: ‘Hey.’ We trust the process.”
Williams is proud of his record and will always conduct things to his standards.
“Oh yeah. It makes me proud that the kids understand that,” Williams said. “Yes, we want to win championships and we want to win state, but most importantly, we want you to be successful in life.
“If I had the choice of winning a state ring or having 10 kids go to college, I would choose 10 kids in college every time.”
Chris Hayes covers high school, college, and college football recruiting for the Sentinel. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) @OS_ChrisHays And one on Instagram @OS_ChrisHays. You can email him at chays@orlandosentinel.com.
At Jones High School, the football program not only focuses on developing exceptional athletes, but also emphasizes the importance of academic success. As a result, many of the football players are able to graduate and move on to college. This achievement not only speaks to the dedication of the players, but also reflects the strong support and guidance provided by the coaching staff and educators at Jones High School. The success of these student athletes serves as a testament to the school’s commitment to fostering well-rounded individuals who are prepared for the next stage of their academic and athletic careers.