Did Cumberland football coach Josh Lima step down for an NFL job? Here's what we know

Josh Lima knew that if he was ever going to leave his position as head coach of the Cumberland High School football team, it would only happen if a perfect opportunity arose elsewhere.

That time has finally come.

On Monday, Lima resigned as the Clippers head coach, ending his 11-year run where he steadied the program and turned it into a perennial contender.

“Myself and [defensive coordinator] Gabe Gonzalez, our goal was to make this a Division I team and put us in the landscape of best public schools in Rhode Island,” Lima said. “You look at it almost 12 years later and we’re in the final four of the state championship with three private schools. We’ve played for Super Bowls and we’ve been to the playoffs for nine straight years, sent 40 guys to play in college.

“We didn’t get over the hump and win the state championship, but we’ve been very consistent and that was one of the goals when we first took over the program.”

“He took our program to the next level,” Cumberland athletic director Marty Crowley said. “We talk about competing as a program and Josh brought respectability to the program and competitiveness as well.”

Where is Josh Lima going?

Multiple reports have Lima leaving Cumberland for the National Football League and a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The reports make sense. When former La Salle All-Stater Liam Coen was hired as the Jaguars head coach in January, it wasn’t long before rumblings that Lima could join his former teammate and close friend started.

Lima declined to confirm or comment on the reports, but said “if the right opportunity ever presented itself, then we would have to look at it and over the years there were many that did. It just never really stood out like OK, this is one we really have to look at.”

“If the NFL comes calling, how can you say no?” Crowley said. “It’s a great opportunity for Josh to advance his career. Conversely, he was so invested in our school and our culture, not just football — it was our whole school.

“It’s going to be a huge hole that has to be filled.”

There have been other opportunities. Lima has been approached by prep schools and college programs, but the fit didn’t make sense for him and his family.

Perhaps the closest Lima came to leaving prior to this was in this past offseason, when he was a finalist for the job at La Salle, a position that went to former New England Patriots offensive lineman Dan Koppen.

“None of the other situations really made sense financially or location-wise for my family and it wasn’t something in the cards for me,” Lima said. “There was a situation recently and was it something that was appealing? Yeah, it was the program I played in.

“But it wasn’t the end-all, be-all.”

New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen speaks as Jaguars owner Shad Khan looks on during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Can Josh Lima coach in the NFL?

While jumping from the RIIL to the NFL seems absurd, Lima certainly has a football IQ that’s built for the next level. He installed an NFL-type offense in at Cumberland and is widely regarded as the best Xs and Os coach in the state.

Coen wouldn’t bring Lima on if he didn’t think he was capable. A first-year coach can’t afford to bring a buddy along because one bad season is enough to find yourself looking for a job.

Lima is a terrific football mind, but also helping his case is his familiarity with Coen. The two played at La Salle together and are more family than friends. Coen will surround himself with as many good football people as possible, but bringing someone on who knows football and can be trusted beyond a shadow of a doubt is also beneficial — just look at Bill Belichick and Ernie Adams.

Cumberland head coach Josh Lima, center, and his assistants in 2024.

Who will be Cumberland’s next football coach?

Crowley didn’t comment on who the school would look at to be the next head coach, only saying the school posted the job online on Thursday and would follow the process Cumberland normally follows.

With the season set to start on Aug. 14, the process will certainly be hurried.

Logic dictates that most applicants will be current assistant coaches in other programs. It’s hard to imagine any head coach willing to jump ship with the start of the season weeks away.

Cumberland does have two very impressive candidates from Lima’s staff.

Gonzalez has been with Lima since the beginning. Gonzalez played at East Providence under legendary coach Sandy Gorham and has become a well-respected coach both for his defensive knowledge and his ability to get the most out of his players.

Matt LaRoche is the offensive line coach and run-game coordinator and it's no coincidence that those two parts of the game were instrumental in Cumberland’s success the last two seasons. LaRoche played at St. Raphael for Mike Sassi and has a background in math and embraced analytics in a way few coaches have.

With the start of the season so close, going in-house seems like the easiest and most obvious route. If Gonzalez or LaRoche wants the job, the transition would be seamless and help the program go in the direction it has since Lima took over.

When will things become official?

The Jacksonville Jaguars training camp officially starts on July 19 when rookies report and three days later, the rest of the team will get going. It’s hard to imagine a world where Lima, if hired, isn’t in Florida before those dates.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Did Cumberland football coach Josh Lima step down for an NFL job? Here's what we know