SARASOTA ― We have published lists of Sarasota and Manatee top football players by class and by position already this fall. Now it’s time to rank the best of the best.
The Herald-Tribune looked at the rosters from the area’s 18 high school football programs and determined which 15 athletes we think are the top players who will suit up on area fields this fall. And then we ranked the 15. We are calling this ranking The Big 15.
Here’s the Herald-Tribune’s list of the Sarasota, Manatee area’s The Big 15 football players.
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The Big 15 football players in the Sarasota-Manatee area for 2024
1. Winston Watkins Jr.
Venice
Vitals: 5-foot-10, 174 pounds; Sr.
College Offers: 31, including Ohio State, Penn State, Florida, and Texas
Last season, playing for First Baptist in Naples, the cousin of former NFL wide receiver Sammy Watkins caught 61 passes for 1,170 yards and 13 TDs, returned seven punts for 278 yards, a 39.7-yard average, with two touchdowns, and returned 10 kickoffs for 408 yards, a 40.8-yard average. A 247 four-star recruit, the 5-foot-10, 174-pound Watkins will be used in a variety of ways by Venice head coach John Peacock, all to get him the football.
“I want Venice to develop me into a man and a player and help me grow as a man,” Watkins said. “Teach me stuff about real life. What I’m going to do for Venice is I’m coming in to give them a dog; the best player they’ve ever had come through here. Break all the records, all that stuff, and win a championship.”
2. Ean Johnson-Kelley
Manatee
Vitals: 6-foot-1, 275 pounds; Sr.
College commitment: Mercer
The dominant 6-foot-1, 275-pound Hurricane defensive tackle recorded a team-high 53 tackles last season ― 16 for loss ― five quarterback sacks, 18 QB hurries, three recovered fumbles, two caused fumbles, a blocked punt, and a blocked field goal. In finishing 9-3, Manatee allowed an average of 107 rushing yards a game, despite allowing 324 in a loss to Venice. Ean-Kelley has started on the Manatee defensive line with teammate Alvoid Kennon since the two were freshmen. He’ll play collegiately at Mercer, but if not for football, he would like to enter a field focused on “making people happy,” said Ean-Kelley. “If they’re down, picking them up. Making them feel better. Probably counseling.”
Top Seniors: Listing the top 52 Sarasota, Manatee area high school football seniors for the 2024 season
3. Chris McCorkle
Cardinal Mooney
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 172 pounds; Jr.
College commitment: Indiana
On both sides of the ball, Cardinal Mooney’s 6-foot-1, 172-pound junior caused trouble for opponents. At wide receiver, McCorkle caught 13 passes for 366 yards and seven touchdowns, including the winning touchdown catch in Mooney’s 31-27 state title win over Trinity Catholic. At cornerback, he had 24 tackles, a team-high eight interceptions, 18 passes defended, and one caused fumble. He considers himself, first and foremost, a defensive player.
“I tell coaches I’m a D-back; I tell coaches I’m a defensive player,” he said. “I can play both sides. If they need me to do that, I can do that. It really doesn’t matter. I just want to play football.”
4. Jamarice Wilder
Venice
Vitals: 5-foot-9, 196 pounds; Sr.
College commitment: James Madison
The explosive and shifty 5-foot-9, 196-pound running back led Venice last season with 1,271 yards on 149 carries, an 8.5-yard average. Including his four points on conversions, Wilder’s 154 points scored was 56 higher than the next Venice player, wide receiver CJ Lewis with 98. Nicknamed “Gator” as a child by his grandmother for how wide he opened his mouth when he cried, he will always remember the football program pushing him to be the best running back he could be.
“And I actually thank coach P (Peacock) a lot for doing that,” Wilder said. “Coach P is basically like a little Nick Saban. Everybody on the team has their specific job. But it’s to the point where everybody knows their role and knows their job. And they do it.”
5. DJ Johnson
Riverview
Vitals: 5-foot-11, 180 pounds; Sr.
College Offers: 3, Keiser University, Gardner-Webb University, and Warner University.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound shifty and surprisingly strong tailback led the Rams in rushing last season with 1,660 yards on 233 carries, an average of 7.1 yards per rush, with a team-high 23 touchdowns. And this season, “Deanwar” Johnson also will start at cornerback for Riverview. If football wasn’t in his future, he said he would have joined the Marines, just like his uncle, Tony Johnson. Despite playing for Riverview, Johnson attends Sarasota Military Academy. Among his many qualities as a football player, Johnson said single-mindedness ranks right at the top.
“I think it’s my determination and my drive to get extra yards and just not to be afraid of contact,” he said. “Every single second, I’m giving it 100 percent.”
6. Andrew Heidel
Manatee
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 205 pounds; Sr.
College commitment: Army
As a two-year starter at quarterback for Manatee, Heidel has a record of 15-7. In leading Manatee to a 9-3 record last season, he completed 206…
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