Michael B. Jordan’s Drama Teacher, Basketball Coach Recall the Oscar Nominee’s Early Drive: 'Always Focused' (Exclusive)

As Michael B. Jordan celebrates his Oscar nomination for 'Sinners,' four people from Newark Arts High School recall the ambition and compassion he showed as a teen

NEED TO KNOW

• Michael B. Jordan’s former drama teacher and basketball coach say the Oscar nominee’s drive and leadership were clear even when he was a teen at Newark Arts High School
• Jordan balanced high school while filming HBO’s The Wire, impressing teachers with his focus and work ethic
• Those who knew him early say he was “beyond his years” and mentored his peers

As Michael B. Jordan celebrates his first Oscar nomination for Sinners, the people who knew him long before the Hollywood spotlight say the signs of stardom were already there.

Jordan earned the Best Actor nomination for his dual performance in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, in which he plays twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore.

Carl Gonzalez, Jordan’s former drama teacher at Newark Arts High School in New Jersey, says the actor’s long-running collaboration with Coogler has been key to his rise.

“His relationship with Ryan Coogler is not to be dismissed — not at all,” Gonzalez says. “Those two may end up being like Scorsese and De Niro.”

Gonzalez said the future star stood out early not only for his talent, but for his work ethic, focus and compassion.

“I’m not surprised by any of this,” Gonzalez says of Jordan’s success. “The sky is the limit for this guy.”

Gonzalez first taught Jordan, 39, when the actor was a junior in high school — at a time when his career was already beginning to take off. Jordan was appearing on HBO’s The Wire while still attending school, leading administrators and teachers to find ways to balance his acting career with academics.

“He was one of the first kids I had who was already a working actor,” Gonzalez recalls. “We had to come up with a plan with the principal — how does he get a grade, how does he get credit, how does he keep up with school while filming?”

Even then, Gonzalez says Jordan approached acting with unusual focus.

“Our conversations were always about how he could get better,” he says. “He’d ask me, ‘How can I do better at an audition? Do you have any audition material for me?’ He was a tremendous worker — very empathetic, very compassionate and beyond his years.”

One moment from those years still stands out to Gonzalez.

Jordan once became captivated by a monologue from Camelot which explores themes of leadership, responsibility and power.

“He stopped me and said, ‘Mr. G, I really like this character [King Arthur],’ ” Gonzalez recalls. “Low key, I think he’s living that life right now — an unaware, kingly kind of presence.”

Roger León, now the superintendent of Newark Public Schools, first met Jordan when he was principal of University High School in Newark while the actor attended nearby Newark Arts High School.

“His love for basketball was comparable to his love of the work that he does in the arts,” León tells PEOPLE. “That passion has always been a driving force for who he is.”

León recalls first meeting Jordan when the future actor was a junior at Newark Arts High School.

“Even then, the compassion, the focus, the energy — the spirit by which he approached everything — was remarkable,” León says. “He gave his all to whatever he was doing.”

According to León, what stood out most was Jordan’s sense of purpose at such a young age. “It was incredible to witness someone so young understand what takes many people years to figure out,” he says. “He understood his role in whatever he was doing, and he committed himself 100 percent to the assignment.”

Jordan’s dedication extended beyond the classroom and stage.

Kennis Fairfax, who coached Jordan on the basketball court at Newark Arts High School, says the future Black Panther star brought the same discipline to sports.

“Michael worked as hard in the gym as he did in the classroom and on stage,” Fairfax tells PEOPLE. “He was always focused, always locked in.” Fairfax says Jordan’s leadership stood out even then.

“He had a presence about him,” the coach recalls. “The other kids looked up to him. He wasn’t the loudest guy in the room, but when Michael spoke, people listened.”

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Gonzalez says Jordan also stood out as a teenager for his maturity and deep sense of family. “He was always more of an adult before anybody else,” Gonzalez says. “He cared about his mom. He cared about his family. He cared about the actors.”

Fairfax says that strong foundation at home helped shape the person Jordan would become.

“I always told him, if you can’t be successful at home, you can’t be successful anywhere,” Fairfax says. “He was successful at home first, and that makes you successful elsewhere. When you’ve got nowhere else to go, home should be the place you can go. He’s always kept that base. He had a good foundation — his parents taught him right.”

Prophet Kates, a former Newark Arts High School basketball player who Jordan mentored, remembers that same sense of leadership among their peers. “Mike was always focused,” Kates tells PEOPLE. “You could tell he had a vision for himself even back then.”

Despite his growing success on shows like The Wire, Kates says Jordan remained grounded among classmates. “He never acted like he was bigger than anybody,” Kates recalls. “He was just Mike.”

Kates says Jordan also served as a quiet mentor to younger students. “Mike always carried himself like someone people could look up to,” he says. “Even back then, he understood that people were watching him.”

That support meant even more during a difficult moment in Kates’ life. When his father suffered a stroke and later died in 2016, Kates says Jordan would FaceTime him to check in. “He went out of his way to ask how my dad was doing,” Kates says. “It meant the world to me. It shows you the type of person he is.”

“I’m proud to say he’s a friend and a brother figure to me,” he adds.

Moments like that, Kates says, revealed the character behind Jordan’s success. “A lot of people see the star now,” he says. “But the person he is today — that’s the same person he was back then.”

Years later, Jordan returned to his alma mater after achieving major Hollywood success, reconnecting with Gonzalez and visiting students at the school. “When he came back, we sat him in the same seat he used to sit in,” Gonzalez remembers. “He looked around and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I remember this basement classroom.’ ”

Jordan also showed generosity toward the next generation of actors at the school.“He actually paid for the students to go see the opening of Creed,” Gonzalez says. “That’s the kind of person he is.”

Now, Gonzalez says aspiring performers often ask him if he can help them follow in Jordan’s footsteps. “Everybody comes to me and says, ‘Can you get me there?’ ” he says with a laugh. “And I tell them — you have to do what Michael did. You have to do the work.”

For Gonzalez, watching his former student reach new heights remains deeply rewarding. “He’s tremendously charismatic,” he says. “But the charisma comes from such a human place.”

León agrees, saying Jordan’s journey from Newark classrooms to Hollywood’s biggest stage reflects years of dedication. “His evolution as an actor from those early days to where he is today is evidence of the worthiness of having his name attached to that Oscar,” León says. “We’ll all be watching.”

And if Jordan’s career continues on its current trajectory, Gonzalez believes the best may still be ahead. “I’m excited about the next 10 or 15 years,” he says. “Because he’s just getting started.”

The 98th Academy Awards will air live on ABC and Hulu on March 15, starting at 7 p.m. ET.

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