Braden River’s Deshaun Fenwick makes sudden commitment to South Carolina

It was only a few months ago that Deshaun Fenwick first started getting calls from college coaches.

Ohio was the first to pull the trigger and offer the Braden River athlete a scholarship in December. Soon after, offers started piling up from Power Five Conference programs.

On Wednesday, the rising senior orally committed to South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference.

“Coach (Bobby) Bentley came by (Wednesday) and he came to my school,” Fenwick said Thursday. “He didn’t leave until I was done with practice, so he wanted to find out a lot of things about me and who I am as a person, and that shows how much he really cares about me and how much he wants me.”

Bentley, the Gamecocks’ running backs coach, served as the primary recruiter for Fenwick, although Fenwick said South Carolina wasn’t necessarily more aggressive than other schools in their recruitment. Fenwick, who is rated a three-star prospect by 247sports.com, took an unofficial visit to Columbia, S.C., in March, on the eve of the Gamecocks’ spring game.

The impression of the campus was enough for Fenwick to commit, and he said he is locked in to his commitment, although he does plan to take visits during the fall.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Fenwick said. “This was my first SEC experience, so I got there and everything was top notch — the field, the stadium, the weight room, indoor facility. Everything. You can’t get much better.”

The 6-foot-2, 208-pound prospect is ranked as the No. 9 all-purpose back in the nation by 247sports and was a dual threat as a runner and receiver for the Pirates during the past two seasons. A Herald first-team all-area selection, Fenwick rushed for 904 yards during the fall and wound up as Braden River’s No. 2 receiver with 350 yards. With the graduation of Raymond Thomas, a two-time, first-team all-area selection, Fenwick is scheduled to take on more of a workhorse back role this coming fall.

Fenwick chose the Gamecocks over 10 other schools that had offered the running back, including Mississippi, Missouri, Central Florida, Boston College, Central Florida, Texas, Iowa State, Georgia and South Florida.

If Fenwick signs with and joins South Carolina, he will become the first player from the county to sign with an SEC school since Manatee running back Trevon Walters signed with Missouri in 2014. Fenwick is the first area player in the Class of 2018 to make his college choice.

“There were other schools,” Fenwick said, “but me just feeling it out, I felt like I made the right decision.”

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 5:48 PM with the headline "Braden River’s Deshaun Fenwick makes sudden commitment to South Carolina."