The Carol City Chiefs’ biggest star is this 5-11 receiver primed for a breakout season
A 30-year-old first-time head coach, a freshman quarterback half his age and perhaps the baddest wide receiver prospect around — that’s what the Carol City Chiefs are looking like in 2019.
Josh Taylor, a former Miramar High defensive lineman who once walked on at West Virginia University before earning a scholarship, has been on Carol City’s coaching staff since 2016. He was then named Chiefs interim head coach less than one month before the start of this season, replacing Benedict Hyppolite, who left to become the offensive coordinator at Florida Memorial University.
“I was happy for him and proud because I know all the hard work he put in,” Taylor said of Hyppolite landing at FMU, which will re-launch its football program next year. “When [Carol City administrators] came to me to be the head coach, I was excited. I was ready to go — and I’m still ready.”
Carol City’s 2019 season has gotten off to an interesting start. The Chiefs opened with an impressive 24-12 win over Deerfield Beach but lost 10-0 to Northwestern on Thursday in a game that was called — with 6:18 still left on the clock — due to lightning.
The Chiefs’ biggest star is 5-11, 185-pound wide receiver Thaiu Jones-Bell, who has committed to the University of Alabama. He’s a four-star recruit and the No. 87 prospect in the nation, regardless of position, according to ESPN.com.
Jones-Bell might be the best receiver to play for Carol City since former Miami Hurricanes and NFL star Santana Moss caught 12 touchdown passes and ran a kickoff all the way back as a Chiefs senior in 1996.
Taylor grew up a massive Canes fan, but he can’t fault his star player, Jones-Bell, sprinting off to Bama. These days, there’s no bigger stamp of approval than an offer from the Crimson Tide.
That’s especially true if you are a wide receiver from South Florida. The Tide struck gold with South Florida receivers such as Miami Northwestern’s Armani Cooper and Monarch’s Calvin Ridley, both of whom are current NFL standouts and former first-round picks. More recently, Alabama signed Deerfield Beach’s Jerry Jeudy (2017) and Hollywood Chaminade’s Xavier Williams (2018).
Jones-Bell is the next receiver to go from the Sunshine State straight to the Heart of Dixie, and he deserves the opportunity, Taylor said.
“He’s one of the best receivers I’ve seen at this level in a long time,” Taylor said. “He’s big, fast, smart. He can take the ball the distance at any point — just electric.
“But the best thing about him is that he’s still working as if he were a no-stars recruit. He’s in there grinding — one of the most humble and coachable kids I know. I love that kid.”
The Chiefs had a second four-star recruit on their roster this summer in defensive end Samuel Anaele, who has committed to the University of Kentucky after previously vowing to attend Miami. Anaele left Carol City to attend a prep school.
Anaele’s departure hasn’t hurt the defense so far — they are allowing an average of just 11.0 points in two games.
The offense, though, needs a big year from Keyone Jenkins, Carol City’s freshman quarterback.
Not that Taylor is worried about Jenkins, whose QB coach at Carol City is Ethenic Sands, who won two state championships as a Chiefs quarterback and one national title as a Canes wide receiver.
“His maturity is through the roof,” Taylor said of Jenkins. “He’s very poised, and he loves football.”