Rising junior quarterback Dereon Coleman, who is heading into his first full season as the starter at Jones High, committed to play for the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday, his 17th birthday.
Coleman said his decision was all about the UM coaches, who have made a huge splash in Central Florida of late, already gaining commitments from the top three offensive linemen in the Sentinel’s 2025 Central Florida Super60: Matt Buchanan, Jaden Wilkerson and Demetrius Campbell.
“Miami kept it real with me during the whole process I had with them,” Coleman said. “So me, being the kid I am from and where I’m from and where I grew up, keeping it real means a lot with me and my whole household. I know I can trust them on and off the field.”
Coleman, the No. 5 player in the Sentinel’s 2026 Central Florida Super60, picked the Hurricanes over Oklahoma and Ole Miss.
“I’m not going to lie. It was a hard choice. It came down to the wire at the end,” Coleman said. “All the coaches just respected my decision. I kept being in communication with them and they said I handled my decision greatly.”
Miami’s main recruiter for Coleman has been offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Shannon Dawson.
“It’s going great and we talk every day. He wants to talk to his quarterback every day,” Coleman said. “Just getting to know each other a little bit better and talking a lot of off-the-field, family talk.”
Coleman split time as Jones quarterback as a sophomore last year, sharing duties with senior Trever Jackson, now a walk-on at FSU. Coleman threw for 2,236 yards and 16 touchdowns on 116 of 183 passing (63%).
“After that one year, I just blew up. Last year, everybody thought I was going to transfer,” Coleman said. “But I just stayed and competed and showed everyone who I actually am.”
Coleman shared time with Jackson and said he learned plenty from his older teammate.
“It was actually great. People don’t know, but me and Trever had a great relationship. It was a great quarterback room,” Coleman said. “He taught me how to be a leader. He taught me how to mature and etc. I taught him a few things. We had no bad blood.”
Coleman gained experience and the respect of his teammates as a sophomore.
“They respected me a lot and they listened to what I had to say, even the seniors,” Coleman said. “So that feels good, having people looking up to me and asking me questions when things are going wrong.
“If they see I’m not falling, the whole team just keeps pushing. That’s what I love about it.”
Coleman and the Tigers have huge expectations.
“We’re gonna win a ‘ship … get that ring,” he said.
He heaps praise on Jones coach Elijah Williams.
“Coach Will has helped me a lot, off the field. I already had the skills. Coach Will helped me mature and did everything for me,” Coleman said. “He’s like another father figure for me. He plays a dad role in my life.”
Chris Hays can be found on X @OS_ChrisHays. He can be reached via email at chays@orlandosentinel.com.
