Jones rebuilds an offense that lost nearly every statistical leader while adding four FBS commitments to a defense already rich in recruited talent.
Top 25 Public HSFB8/17/20266 min read
Jones came within five points of a state championship in 2025. The Tigers won 10 straight games to reach the FHSAA Class 4A final, then lost 33-28 to American Heritage and finished 12-3.
The offense that produced 510 points has to replace its quarterback, feature back and two 11-touchdown receivers. The defense has a different kind of problem: fitting a large group of current Division I recruits and transfers into a unit that also lost 19 sacks with Quinton Evans and Ryan Duval.
Team Snapshot
2025 record: 12-3
2025 district record: 3-0
2025 finish: FHSAA Class 4A state runner-up
2026 classification: FHSAA Class 4A, District 7
Head coach: Elijah Williams
2025 scoring: 510 points scored, 184 allowed
2026 Outlook
There is no simple replacement for Dereon Coleman. He threw 30 touchdown passes, ran for five more scores and completed 75.3 percent of his attempts as a senior. Sophomore Peyton Carroll and junior Jahari Greenaway are the current quarterbacks on Jones' 2026 roster. Whichever player wins the job will make his first regular-season start against California's defending Open Division champion.
The backfield and receiving order are changing too. Daunte Wallace averaged 93.4 rushing yards and scored 21 total touchdowns. Larry Miles and DJ Hicks combined for 26 touchdown catches. Elijah McCluster is the leading returning runner at 19.9 yards per game, while Kameron Lee is the leading returning receiver by 2025 production. Devin Coleman, Ron Schrouder and Antwoine Glover are other current skill players who can earn larger roles.
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Aaron Lucero is the most recruited returning offensive lineman. The Class of 2027 tackle has reported offers from Ole Miss, Connecticut and Massachusetts. His work matters because the new quarterback cannot be expected to recreate Coleman's ability to extend a play immediately.
Fred Ards III gives the defense an established star. The Texas A&M commitment led Jones with 11 sacks as a junior. He now has a much deeper recruited front around him. Syracuse commitment Braylon Otis transferred from Liverpool in New York after leading his classification with seven sacks. West Virginia commitment DeJour Webb and UCF commitment Noah Robinson are also on the current roster.
Robinson transferred from Vanguard and appears on Jones' updated August roster as a senior defensive lineman. The UCF commitment gives the Tigers another interior defender with proven varsity experience.
The secondary is loaded with offers. Reggie Harris, Ke'Sean Williams, Antwoine Glover and Class of 2028 cornerback Sharad Haire all return. Harris holds more than 20 reported offers, Glover has multiple Power Four opportunities, and Haire's list includes LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Kentucky, Louisville and Wisconsin.
Other current players with reported Division I offers include Lucero, McCluster, Schrouder, sophomore receiver Cameron Tooley, sophomore quarterback Carroll, tight end Jadon Sweet and sophomore defensive back Jayden Donaldson. Jones has recruited depth across all three levels of the defense. The question is whether the Tigers can turn that inventory into an organized offense and a connected defense.
Players to Know
Fred Ards III | EDGE | Class of 2027 Ards is committed to Texas A&M after producing 11 sacks as a junior. He is the returning defender most capable of controlling a game without a blitz and the player Jones can build its new pressure plan around.
Braylon Otis | EDGE | Class of 2027 Otis transferred from Liverpool in New York after a seven-sack junior season and is committed to Syracuse. His arrival means offenses cannot slide every protection toward Ards.
DeJour Webb | DL | Class of 2027 Webb is committed to West Virginia and gives the Tigers a 300-pound interior presence. Jones lost senior production in the front, but it did not replace those snaps with inexperienced bodies.
Noah Robinson | DL | Class of 2027 Robinson is committed to UCF and now appears on Jones' current roster after playing at Vanguard. He joins Ards, Otis and Webb in a front with four FBS commitments.
Elijah McCluster | RB/WR | Class of 2027 McCluster is the leading returning rusher and holds reported offers from Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Rhode Island. His workload should rise sharply after Wallace's graduation.
Reggie Harris | S | Class of 2027 Harris recorded 51 tackles as a junior and has more than 20 reported offers, including Arkansas and Wake Forest. He is the experienced organizer in a secondary filled with recruited talent.
Sharad Haire | CB | Class of 2028 Haire missed much of 2025 with an elbow injury but returns with a national offer list. His coverage ability raises the secondary's ceiling once he is back in a full role.
Aaron Lucero | OL | Class of 2027 Lucero is a 6-foot-7 returning tackle with three reported FBS offers. His protection will help determine how quickly Jones can trust its new quarterback against an unforgiving opener.
Schedule Breakdown
Jones opens at Santa Margarita Catholic, which went 11-3, shared the Trinity League title and won the 2025 CIF Southern Section Division 1 and California Open Division championships. That is a severe first assignment for an offense replacing almost every statistical leader.
An Aug. 28 open date follows the California trip. Jones then plays a Saturday afternoon game at Evans and a Thursday home game against Boone before Edgewater visits on Sept. 18.
The four district games are at Kathleen, home against Lake Wales, at Brandon and home against Lake Region. Ocoee and West Orange complete the schedule.
Complete 2026 Schedule
Aug. 21: at Santa Margarita Catholic (California)
Aug. 28: Open date
Sept. 5: at Evans
Sept. 10: vs. Boone
Sept. 18: vs. #63 Edgewater
Sept. 25: at Kathleen
Oct. 2: at Ocoee
Oct. 9: vs. Lake Wales
Oct. 16: at Brandon
Oct. 23: vs. Lake Region
Oct. 30: vs. West Orange
Biggest Question
Can the new quarterback make the offense functional before the opener in California?
Jones has a defensive front with four FBS commitments and a secondary crowded with offers. It also lost a quarterback responsible for 35 touchdowns, a 21-touchdown running back and 26 receiving touchdowns. The defense can buy time, but it cannot replace the distribution and timing of the 2025 offense by itself.
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8-2 regular season; reaches the Class 4A state semifinals.
I have Jones winning District 7 and returning to the final four. Santa Margarita is the clearest loss candidate, and the rebuilt offense is likely to have another uneven night before it settles. The recruited defense keeps the floor high, but another state-final run requires the new quarterback and skill rotation to become more than a support act.
Bottom Line
Jones has four FBS commitments in its defensive front and multiple offer players in the secondary. That is enough talent to keep the Tigers among Florida's strongest Class 4A teams while the offense changes.
No. 80 is less a statement about the roster than about the transition. If the quarterback job stabilizes and McCluster, Lee and the new receivers replace enough of the lost production, Jones can make the ranking look too low by November.
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