Florida powerhouse Miami Central reportedly names next head coach

One of the undisputed top head coaching job in Florida high school football is reportedly off the market after being open for less than a week.

On Friday, the Palm Beach Post published a story that Miami Central had ousted head coach Jube Joseph after three seasons due to the use of ineligible players that cost the team eight wins this season. Just a few short days later on Monday, multiple outlets are reporting that the Rockets have named Derrick Gibson as Joseph’s replacement.

The latter is very familiar with the Rockets’ program, having served as Miami Central’s defensive coordinator from 2009-2019 before taking a job as the safeties coach at Florida Atlantic University. He returned to the high school ranks soon after, leading Miami-Dade program Killian to record of 26-6 over three years.

Joseph, who was the team’s defensive coordinator after Gibson left in 2019, led the team to a 31-5 record before the retroactive forfeits. His final three-year mark is adjusted to 22-14. That includes an undefeated 14-0 season in 2022 and a Class 2M state championship. They struggled to 8-5 season in 2023 though, where they lost in the state playoffs to rival Norland. This season they were again considered one of the state’s top programs and were off to a 8-1 start, ranked No. 4 in On3’s Composite High School Rankings.

The team’s only loss of the season came at the hands of Lakeland in the opening game of the year. And the Rockets went on to beat state powers American Heritage, Northwestern, and Norland.

However, the FHSAA ruled in early November that the team would forfeit each of its first nine games after Miami Central self-reported the violation. According a the FHSAA’s investigation an ineligible student-athlete entered the 9th grade in 2020-2021 and entered the 2024-2025 school year as a fifth-year student, yet was allowed to play in nine games, violating bylaw 9.5.1.

Gibson returning back to his roots

He now takes over one of the Sunshine State’s most prolific programs. The Rockets are nine-time state champions, including a run of four straight titles from 2019-2022, the last of which came in Joseph’s first season at the helm.

Prior to his coaching career, Gibson was a four-year letterwinner at Florida State and a first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2000. He played six seasons with the team, notching 196 career tackles and starting 32 of 69 games.