Columbus assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Jube Joseph, who won a state title and Miami-Dade Coach of the Year at Central, joined the CanesInSight Daily Podcast before Columbus opens the Open Division against his old program.
DMoney: We're calling this one the Coach Joseph Classic. For those who don't know, you were at Central, beat IMG, won a state championship and won Coach of the Year, and now you're at Columbus. Central and Columbus collide Friday. A'Mir Sears, the No. 1 athlete in the country and a Miami commit, will be out there. What are your thoughts going into this one, given your history with that program?
Coach Joseph: We just treat it like another game. It's another opportunity to show what we work on day in and day out at Christopher Columbus. It's a new season, and everybody's 0-0. We leave the narratives to the fans and supporters of the game. We're going to take care of business down by down, play by play, and be the best versions of ourselves every series.
DMoney: Let's get right into A'Mir. You saw what he did against Bishop Gorman. We know he's used everywhere at the high school level, but how do you see him being used going forward, and what makes him so special?
Coach Joseph: The sky's the limit. He's just now scratching the surface of what he can be on a consistent basis. Since he got to Columbus, his IQ has shot through the roof. He's hungry to learn. He's a lunch-pail kid, first one in, last one out. Honestly, he can do whatever he puts his mind to.
Him getting with Mario and that culture down there, I think history will be made with a kid like him.
But I look at the things that aren't on the stat line. His leadership. His selflessness. He's a true locker room guy. He has a thirst for knowledge and improvement, and he critiques his own game at a high level. His football IQ is through the roof. He has a real appreciation for football.
Isa: Strictly from a football standpoint, what part of his game do you think translates best to college?
Coach Joseph: His instincts. He's super instinctual, not just for the ball but for the ball carrier. And he goes hard. His instincts will carry over to the next level, and guys like Coach Jefferson will sharpen his tool belt when he gets there so he can be an asset early.
Isa: We've heard about A'Mir's work ethic and we've seen the athleticism. What about the competitive edge? How does that help him at Miami going against players like Malachi Toney in practice?
Coach Jube Joseph: He's a dog, man. Sometimes I have to slow him down. I have to load-manage him in practice.
When I first got to Columbus, we had Catapult wearable technology that tracks how you practice. One of the trainers gave me the charts, and I didn't know what they said, so I basically ran them through ChatGPT and asked, what is this telling me? And it said, whoever this kid is, is practicing like he's going against the Dolphins.
Literally. So I told him, hey, man, you've got to slow down a little bit. You're at risk of soft-tissue injuries. I'm slowing you down on Tuesday. That's the type of kid he is. He's always the first one out of the locker room, sitting there, and he'll look at you as a coach like, you're late, I'm here first. That's what you're getting.
DMoney: This is about A'Mir, but it's really about a lot of kids. Columbus basically had half a team come in. Kids who were already there want to play, and a lot of talented kids are coming in. At any school in the country, that's an adjustment. From a coaching and culture standpoint, how did you make it work and come together as a team?
Coach Joseph: First, shout-out to the administration for having an open mind to change. They looked at what Columbus was at one point and what it wanted to be, saw the vision, believed in it and supported it step by step. And shout-out to the kids and the families, because it didn't happen overnight. It took time to gel. This is an all-boys private school, and it took all hands on deck for us to become a family and cultivate these guys, not just as players but as people.
DMoney: Let's talk about the changes in Florida football. The Open Division has never existed before: the eight best teams in the state, names like Columbus, Central, Lakeland, Raines and Venice, all playing each other. And now there's all the attention on Instagram and social media. As an old-school guy, how has it changed you as a coach now that it's big time at every level?
Coach Joseph: I don't think it changed anything. When you coach at a place like Miami Central, you have to bring your A game every week. One week you play Carol City, the next week Northwestern, the next week Booker T. So I'm used to going through a gauntlet of a schedule.
I actually think it's fun. Some may disagree, but if you want to teach kids to compete at a high level, why not do it consistently, day in and day out, in the Elite Eight?
Isa: You've coached a lot of talented athletes. What separates the guys who make it to the next level from the ones who don't?
Coach Joseph: Their mindset. Their approach every day. I'm talking about guys like Rueben Bain and Wesley Bissainthe. South Florida has a lot of talent, but talent is everywhere and discipline isn't. Those guys are few and far between. When it comes down to it, mindset and discipline separate them.
A'Mir shows me that every day and I always tell him stories about Rueben. I had him from ninth grade all the way through, and I was blessed to be part of his journey. You look for those attributes in the kids who want to build the kind of body of work he had at Miami.
DMoney: I've got to ask about Sekou Toure. Like A'Mir, he can play a lot of different spots. He looked huge when I saw him earlier this season. He's Mo Toure's brother, the Canes' middle linebacker, and a top-10 player in the country. What have you seen from him, and how do you use a guy with that kind of size and movement?
Coach Joseph: Man, he's crazy. He's a baby, I'll be honest with you, but he plays so big. Right now he's learning a lot, and we challenge him to be the best he can be. Every time he's out there, he's trying his best to make plays, and the sky's the limit for him too.
If he puts his mind to it, he could play all three levels of the defense. He's freakishly athletic. The last kid I saw who could play all three levels at the high school level was Wesley Bissainthe. You could play him at end, put him at a rover backer or, if you need to, put him at box safety. Sekou comes from a tremendous football pedigree.
Mo doesn't play about him. Mo stays on him about his development. It's a matter of him running his own race and following his journey.
Coach Joseph co-hosts the Go For Two podcast. Find it on YouTube and give it a subscribe. It has really good production value.
Watch the full interview on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, and keep an eye on Columbus–Central on Friday. Subscribe and turn on notifications for all our playoff coverage.
DMoney: We're calling this one the Coach Joseph Classic. For those who don't know, you were at Central, beat IMG, won a state championship and won Coach of the Year, and now you're at Columbus. Central and Columbus collide Friday. A'Mir Sears, the No. 1 athlete in the country and a Miami commit, will be out there. What are your thoughts going into this one, given your history with that program?
Coach Joseph: We just treat it like another game. It's another opportunity to show what we work on day in and day out at Christopher Columbus. It's a new season, and everybody's 0-0. We leave the narratives to the fans and supporters of the game. We're going to take care of business down by down, play by play, and be the best versions of ourselves every series.
DMoney: Let's get right into A'Mir. You saw what he did against Bishop Gorman. We know he's used everywhere at the high school level, but how do you see him being used going forward, and what makes him so special?
Coach Joseph: The sky's the limit. He's just now scratching the surface of what he can be on a consistent basis. Since he got to Columbus, his IQ has shot through the roof. He's hungry to learn. He's a lunch-pail kid, first one in, last one out. Honestly, he can do whatever he puts his mind to.
Him getting with Mario and that culture down there, I think history will be made with a kid like him.
But I look at the things that aren't on the stat line. His leadership. His selflessness. He's a true locker room guy. He has a thirst for knowledge and improvement, and he critiques his own game at a high level. His football IQ is through the roof. He has a real appreciation for football.
Isa: Strictly from a football standpoint, what part of his game do you think translates best to college?
Coach Joseph: His instincts. He's super instinctual, not just for the ball but for the ball carrier. And he goes hard. His instincts will carry over to the next level, and guys like Coach Jefferson will sharpen his tool belt when he gets there so he can be an asset early.
Isa: We've heard about A'Mir's work ethic and we've seen the athleticism. What about the competitive edge? How does that help him at Miami going against players like Malachi Toney in practice?
Coach Jube Joseph: He's a dog, man. Sometimes I have to slow him down. I have to load-manage him in practice.
When I first got to Columbus, we had Catapult wearable technology that tracks how you practice. One of the trainers gave me the charts, and I didn't know what they said, so I basically ran them through ChatGPT and asked, what is this telling me? And it said, whoever this kid is, is practicing like he's going against the Dolphins.
Literally. So I told him, hey, man, you've got to slow down a little bit. You're at risk of soft-tissue injuries. I'm slowing you down on Tuesday. That's the type of kid he is. He's always the first one out of the locker room, sitting there, and he'll look at you as a coach like, you're late, I'm here first. That's what you're getting.
DMoney: This is about A'Mir, but it's really about a lot of kids. Columbus basically had half a team come in. Kids who were already there want to play, and a lot of talented kids are coming in. At any school in the country, that's an adjustment. From a coaching and culture standpoint, how did you make it work and come together as a team?
Coach Joseph: First, shout-out to the administration for having an open mind to change. They looked at what Columbus was at one point and what it wanted to be, saw the vision, believed in it and supported it step by step. And shout-out to the kids and the families, because it didn't happen overnight. It took time to gel. This is an all-boys private school, and it took all hands on deck for us to become a family and cultivate these guys, not just as players but as people.
DMoney: Let's talk about the changes in Florida football. The Open Division has never existed before: the eight best teams in the state, names like Columbus, Central, Lakeland, Raines and Venice, all playing each other. And now there's all the attention on Instagram and social media. As an old-school guy, how has it changed you as a coach now that it's big time at every level?
Coach Joseph: I don't think it changed anything. When you coach at a place like Miami Central, you have to bring your A game every week. One week you play Carol City, the next week Northwestern, the next week Booker T. So I'm used to going through a gauntlet of a schedule.
I actually think it's fun. Some may disagree, but if you want to teach kids to compete at a high level, why not do it consistently, day in and day out, in the Elite Eight?
Isa: You've coached a lot of talented athletes. What separates the guys who make it to the next level from the ones who don't?
Coach Joseph: Their mindset. Their approach every day. I'm talking about guys like Rueben Bain and Wesley Bissainthe. South Florida has a lot of talent, but talent is everywhere and discipline isn't. Those guys are few and far between. When it comes down to it, mindset and discipline separate them.
A'Mir shows me that every day and I always tell him stories about Rueben. I had him from ninth grade all the way through, and I was blessed to be part of his journey. You look for those attributes in the kids who want to build the kind of body of work he had at Miami.
DMoney: I've got to ask about Sekou Toure. Like A'Mir, he can play a lot of different spots. He looked huge when I saw him earlier this season. He's Mo Toure's brother, the Canes' middle linebacker, and a top-10 player in the country. What have you seen from him, and how do you use a guy with that kind of size and movement?
Coach Joseph: Man, he's crazy. He's a baby, I'll be honest with you, but he plays so big. Right now he's learning a lot, and we challenge him to be the best he can be. Every time he's out there, he's trying his best to make plays, and the sky's the limit for him too.
If he puts his mind to it, he could play all three levels of the defense. He's freakishly athletic. The last kid I saw who could play all three levels at the high school level was Wesley Bissainthe. You could play him at end, put him at a rover backer or, if you need to, put him at box safety. Sekou comes from a tremendous football pedigree.
Mo doesn't play about him. Mo stays on him about his development. It's a matter of him running his own race and following his journey.
Coach Joseph co-hosts the Go For Two podcast. Find it on YouTube and give it a subscribe. It has really good production value.
Watch the full interview on the CanesInsight YouTube channel, and keep an eye on Columbus–Central on Friday. Subscribe and turn on notifications for all our playoff coverage.
