Braden River sends trio to Power Five football programs

Curt Bradley stood at the podium inside Braden River High’s auditorium and asked for the former players in attendance to stand up.

Then he explained just how far the Pirates’ football program has come since his tenure began in 2012.

Bradley said only one school was at spring football practice when linebacker Marcus Balliette, the oldest former player in attendance on Wednesday, was a senior in 2013.

“This past spring, we had 99 coaches come in from 99 different schools,” said Bradley, Braden River’s head coach.

Three Braden River players inked national letters of intent during Wednesday’s early signing period.

Running back Deshaun Fenwick (South Carolina), defensive back Tyrone Collins (Missouri) and defensive end Taylor Upshaw (Michigan) are also early enrolling.

Each player took their own path to a Power Five conference program.

Collins played four varsity seasons with the Pirates, intercepting a pass in his first game. Ultimately, he finished as Braden River’s career leader in interceptions (10), pass breakups (46) and defensive touchdowns (three). Then an ACL tear this past offseason nearly cost Collins his senior season. Through it all, Missouri stayed true with its offer.

“They called me up when I had my surgery and told me they still liked me,” Collins said. “... That was mainly the biggest part.”

Fenwick arrived in the summer of his sophomore year and despite having a big frame, needed to grow into the player he is today.

He wasn’t fast. He wasn’t in shape.

The work ethic soon followed after a wakeup call in his first year. It paid off big time when he set program records for career rushing yards (3,124) and single-season rushing yards (1,401).

“My strength and conditioning coach ... is an animal,” Fenwick said. “I’m going to have to work just as hard. We might do workouts in college, but I’m going to do my own workouts just to improve myself.”

Added Braden River offensive coordinator Eric Sanders: “Right now, he’s bigger than most people he plays against. When he goes up there, he’s going to see just how big everyone is. ... There’s going to be linebackers just as big as him.”

Upshaw is a home school student who had never played organized football prior to his junior season in 2016. While he possessed the pedigree with his older brother at Clemson and his father, Reagan, as a former Tampa Bay Bucs player, Taylor Upshaw continued developing.

He was heading to the University of Florida before former head coach Jim McElwain was fired earlier this season. Michigan swooped in and Upshaw said he still has a lot to improve on.

“I have a long way to go,” Upshaw said. “I wouldn’t even say I’m close. I just have to continue to get better. But they’re going to develop me.”

Fenwick didn’t pick up his first college offer until after his junior season. Then more and more piled up, eventually leading him to commit to South Carolina on May 3, 2017.

His loyalty remained true, even when Fenwick said Georgia pursued him with phone calls every weekend asking him to take a visit.

“They even invited me to the South Carolina game,” Fenwick said. “I was like, ‘Wow. Are you guys really serious?’ ”

Between the photo barrage with family members, which included Fenwick’s family making a surprise visit from Louisville, Ky., Fenwick lobbed some friendly trash talk to Collins as the pair are joining SEC programs.

“He can’t tackle me,” Fenwick joked. “Before, he could tackle me. But I don’t know about now. He’s still got to get back into it.”

Fenwick said he loves South Carolina running backs coach Bobby Bentley and considers him like a father.

He added he’ll get a chance to compete for playing time right away.

But first, Fenwick is heading home for the holidays before heading to South Carolina in January.

With Collins and Upshaw, it’s the first group of early enrollees in Braden River’s history and just adding more to the “Built by the River” legacy that was scribbled in Wednesday’s signing day program detailing current Pirates in college football.

Elsewhere

Saint Stephen’s Chase Brown and twin brother Sydney signed with Division I programs. A running back, Chase signed with Western Michigan and Sydney, a safety, signed with Illinois.

This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Braden River sends trio to Power Five football programs."