It’s a new era at Ribault High School for the Trojan football team, and the man chosen to rebuild the program is Coach Aaron Pinckney, affectionately known by all as Coach Ram. Ram has worked his way to the high school level of coaching through the ranks of youth football and middle school football where he has won several championships. Most recently, Coach Ram led the Ribault Colts middle school football team to back to back championships in 2020 and 2021. Now he sets his sights at the high school level, in hopes of rebuilding the pipeline from the middle school to the high school and turning the high school program into champions. Their motto this spring is, bringing the family back together.
“The enthusiasm is high, everyone is ready to work hard, and I’m excited about the culture change here at Ribault”, said Ram. He is still completing his coaching staff and fine tuning some areas, but in just his second spring football practice, the team responded to one of the main pillars of success for Coach Ram and his staff this year, ” discipline”. He starts off with a very young team, but has talented players that can make big plays for the Trojans on both sides of the ball.
OT- 2023 Gary Nath- 6’4, 300lbs
Nath has great size at 6 foot 4 inches and 300 pounds. He is an athlete that coaches should definitely come take a look at. He’s charged with anchoring the offensive line at tackle and will also play some defensive lien this year for the first time.
WR- 2023 Kalvin Gilbert Jr, 6’5, 170lbs
Gilbert is an impressive specimen on the field standing at nearly 6’5 in height. You can’t coach height and he has the hands to go along with the God given gift. The Trojans are excited about his potential, and college coaches should definitely take a look at him this spring.
OL/DL- 2023 Jordan Matthews, 5’11, 230lbs
The leader of the team is Jordan Matthews. He is a super smart, hard working captain, that is extremely versatile on both the offensive and defensive lines.
QB- 2023 Nick Jones, 6’1, 175lbs
Jones returns at quarterback and brings with him a big arm and mobility. A multisport athlete with great athleticism, Jones can turn a lot of heads this year, especially if he develops chemistry with his receivers this spring. He will be a key to the team’s success.
QB/ATH 2024 Jaylen Houston, 5’9, 145lbs
Jaylen Houston is poised to take over the reigns at quarterback in two years, but has the ability to challenge for the starting job this year. He’s athletic, meaning he can be used at several positions along with Jones to put more playmakers on the field if he doesn’t win the starting job this year. He is confident and will drive competition this spring.
S- De’Shyh Beaufort, 6’1, 200lbs
He is one of the most gifted athletes in the area, combining size with athletic ability. However, he comes over to Ribault with something to prove going into this senior season. He’s in the perfect place, with the perfect staff to help him achieve his long over due success on the field at the high school level.
Other players to look out for this spring are rising senior Andre’ King (Safety), rising junior Jaylen Clark (LB), and rising junior Fred Barnes (LB).
Ribault will visit Fernandina Beach in their Spring game May 19th, 2022 at 7pm
