Manatee County’s 2017 Elite 11 high school football players
The Bradenton Herald’s 2017 prep football preview takes a look at this year’s Elite 11, our annual look at the top players heading into the season who aren’t expected to miss time with injuries.
Listing just the top 11 football players in Manatee County is a tough task, because there’s so much talent around. Herald sports reporters chose the players from the 11 programs that traditionally make up the Bradenton Herald’s coverage area.
A player must have competed for an area school during the 2016 season to be eligible.
Don’t agree? Chime in on bradenton.com/sports to comment with who you think is going to have an “elite” season.
Joshua Booker
Manatee, Senior
Position: Running back
Height/Weight: 5-11/215
To his credit: Booker continues adding strength each season and is a bruising running back with some explosiveness that Manatee’s offense might lean on this season. He’s pulling major interest from Western Kentucky and Marshall.
Sir Williams
Manatee, Senior
Position: Quarterback/Cornerback
Height/Weight: 5-11/165
To his credit: A speedster on Manatee High’s 4x100 relay team, Williams’ main position is in the secondary, but he might be tasked with leading the offense in an option-style scheme. In either case, he’s a dynamic athlete and has previous QB experience leading the freshman team a few years ago.
Deshaun Fenwick
Braden River, Senior
Position: Running back/Wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-2/208
To his credit: He’s a hard South Carolina commit who is planning to early enroll after this football season. Fenwick possesses upper-body strength and soft hands, evidenced by his hard running and receiving from the slot in 2016, particularly against district rival Venice.
Knowledge McDaniel
Braden River, Junior
Position: Running back
Height/Weight: 5-10/208
To his credit: A breakout spring game in 2016, when he ran for 170 yards, gave a glimpse into McDaniel’s potential. This year? He’s coming in with several Division I college football offers and is partnering with Deshaun Fenwick to produce the area’s most explosive backfield.
Brendan Bengtsson
Braden River, Senior
Position: Tackle/guard
Height/Weight: 6-3/285
To his credit: The Pirates’ success, like most teams, rests with the offensive line’s performance. Last year, Bengtsson was the lone returner from the 2015 state semifinal team and is a key leader in delivering the holes for Braden River’s dynamic backfield to run through.
Derrick Bradley
Palmetto, Senior
Position: Defensive back
Height/Weight: 5-11/185
To his credit: A lockdown corner on a Palmetto defense that is expected to be stout this season, Bradley broke up 11 passes while forcing one fumble and racking up 48 tackles — four for a loss — as a junior. He’s looking to continue his solid production and garner additional college interest in 2017.
Brandon Shannon
Southeast, Junior
Position: Running back/strong safety
Height/Weight: 5-7/155
To his credit: Shannon was one of the most impressive underclassmen in Manatee County last season, leading a solid Seminoles defense with 117 tackles. The Noles will also hope he can help fill some of the void they have at running back, while still providing a steady presence at the back end of the defense.
Chase Brown
Saint Stephen’s, Senior
Position: Running back/cornerback
Height/Weight: 5-11/190
To his credit: Brown led Manatee County with 1,416 rushing yards last fall, which vaulted him from unknown status into one of the most coveted players from the county in the Class of 2018. Major programs have come calling for the Canadian running back with Syracuse, Indiana and Purdue leading the list.
Fred Billy
Saint Stephen’s, Senior
Position: Quarterback
Height/Weight: 5-10/185
To his credit: Billy already owns virtually every Falcons program record he could be chasing and is coming off the best season of his career. The quarterback ran for 1,228 yards and 22 touchdowns on the way to the Sunshine State Athletic Conference championship, while also throwing for a career-high 1,007 yards. He has an offer from McNeese State, a Football Championship Subdivision program.
Bryce Williams
Cardinal Mooney, Senior
Position: Running back/wide receiver
Height/Weight: 6-0/190
To his credit: Williams was one of the area’s breakout stars in 2016, piling up 1,286 yards and 18 touchdowns on 201 carries during the regular season to help the Cougars reach the postseason for the second straight year. He committed to Minnesota during the offseason and is considered a three-star recruit by 247sports.com’s composite rankings.
Taron Vincent
IMG Academy, Senior
Position: Defensive tackle
Height/Weight: 6-3/290
To his credit: The son of former NFL All-Pro Troy Vincent, the defensive tackle moved to Bradenton with his family before the 2016 season and proceeded to pile up 92 tackles and five sacks. The five-star recruit, according to 247sports.com’s composite rankings, has committed to Ohio State.
This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County’s 2017 Elite 11 high school football players."