QUARTERBACK CHRIS DENSON receives an athletic scholarship.
Photo courtesy of Kanyea Sutton
Chris Denson began playing football at four years old. “Since then I haven’t lost my love for the game,” he said. He played at Polk County’s Mulberry High School through his sophomore year, then transferred to Plant City High School (PCHS) for a better opportunity to showcase his talents. The move paid off for the 6’3” 190 pound quarterback. The Raiders ended the regular season with a 9-3 record and one playoff win. “I feel great,” Denson said about the season. “We set a foundation—I feel like a foundation was set in 2023, but we definitely built off of the 2023 season—definitely improved with three more wins. Yeah, I feel great about it.” His favorite game of the season was Sarasota-Riverview—the first game in the playoffs. “Mainly because it was the first playoff, round-one win in a long time. It really showed people that we could do things they said we couldn’t.”
Denson’s 2024 senior season attracted notice from college football teams. His statistics are the obvious reason. “I prefer to pass,” he said. “I feel like I can do a lot more with my legs than I have been, but I like to spread the football around to my teammates.”
• 2,334 passing yards
• 1,159 running yards
• 28 passing touchdowns
• 12 rushing touchdowns
• 135 quarterback rating
More than 20 colleges offered Denson a football scholarship. He originally committed to Coastal Carolina in April, but de-committed on November 26.
“Clemson came in late,” PCHS Head Football Coach Terence Hicks said. “Once another coach and I saw they lost their commit, we reached out to them and said, ‘We’ve got a guy that we believe in against any guy in the nation.’ That is when the recruiting process started out with Clemson—a great program. The history is there. We have been talking with Clemson for about a month. They crossed all their T’s and dotted all their I’s. Then they came down and watched him play live, and that is when they offered him a scholarship.”
Clemson University is located in South Carolina, and they compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team earned their most recent football national championship in 2018. When Denson found out about the offer, “It was surreal—especially because it is Clemson,” he commented. “A school like that showing interest in me means a lot.”
Denson brings more than merely athletic ability and great season statistics. “Chris was the glue-piece to the team,” Hicks said. “It is always good when your team has your leader. He communicated well to the coaches. He was also great to his teammates. He worked hard, was on time, took care of his stuff in the classroom, and he was also good on the field. He was everything you want in a leader.”
That is a part of what Denson enjoys about playing football. “….being able to go out there and lead the team,” he commented. “Obviously, playing my position, that is what comes with it. Not just on the field, but off the field showing those guys that it is more than just football. You have grades you have to uphold.” His favorite academic subject is history. “It is really interesting to learn about history and how it shaped us today.”
Then there is Denson’s work ethic. “The work that goes behind Friday nights means a lot to me,” he said. “I feel like that part of it is more important than the actual game. Practice makes perfect, and you want to be perfect all of the time in the game. The work behind it—that means more to me—if that makes sense. I knew the young guys looked up to me, so being an example for those guys and showing them that anything is possible—just work. That’s all you have to do, just work.”
Denson recognizes attending Clemson is an enormous opportunity. “I feel great playing under one of the best coaches to ever coach. Besides that, Clemson’s academics—with a 99 percent graduation rate of football players—is something I couldn’t pass up.” For his classwork, Denson plans to focus on broadcast journalism, so that after college he can work as a sports commentator. In terms of the football team, “I’m going to contribute an amazing teammate who pushes the guys around me to be better every single day.”
“I want to thank the City of Plant City for a great two years,” Denson concluded. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
