RIVERVIEW, Fla. – Meet Joshua Warren.
The Sumner (Fla.) ‘24 defensive end/linebacker is headed to The Citadel with Pahokee ‘24 standouts Pierre Fertil (defensive back) and Jenorris Wilcher (athlete).
Why does this matter so much?
Warren, Fertil, and Wilcher are all from the same area and will start college football together this fall at the Charleston, S.C.-based institution.
“I feel like being the three Mucksteppers on the team, we have to set the standard,” the 6-foot-3, 210-pound standout said. “Being where we come from, we will set it high and raise the bar. Just having us on the team is special because we all come from the Muck, and I can’t wait to get to work with them boys this summer.”
Warren on Fertil:
“I’ve known Pierre because me and him both ran for the same track team when we were younger,” Warren said. “I never really talked to him besides that, but I plan on getting to know him more once we touch campus together. I always knew him for being fast.”
Warren on Wilcher:
“I kinda grew up with Jenorris,” Warren said. “Me and him lived on the same street in South Bay when we were younger. His grandma stayed three houses down from my house. So me and him would always be outside playing football in the field by his house and riding around on dirt bikes and four wheelers. But when we played, I would always want him on my team and not going against him because I knew he was good at running the ball and was gonna be hard to tackle. So me and him were around each other a lot for a couple years straight until I moved to Belle Glade, and I just touched base with him recently. I see he’s been balling, but that’s no surprise to me. I knew he was gonna be a good athlete when he got older.”
Warren on what being from the Muck means to him:
“Coming from the Muck, I always felt prideful about that,” Warren said. “I mention it anytime I can and I make sure people know I’m a product of my environment. I carry the chip on my shoulder every time I step on the field up here (Tampa area), being that the other kids don’t come from the city I come from. So they shouldn’t be able to play on the same level as me. The Muck means a lot to me. That’s my home and home to many of my family members. I know the greats that came out of there, and I want to be a part of that greatness. Also having the support system I have down there all throughout the city, I don’t want to let them down.”
FROM MUCK CITY TO TAMPA
Having spent his early years in South Bay and Belle Glade, Warren got his start at Rosenwald Elementary School in South Bay – but with a twist.
“I went to Rosenwald and then we combined with Pioneer Park [Elementary School – Belle Glade] because our school was going through construction and I went to Belle Glade Excel,” Warren said.
From there, Warren spent his middle school years at The Good Shepherd in Pahokee.
But once Warren transitioned from middle school to high school, it was time to make a move.
“I moved to Tampa so I wouldn’t become a product of my environment in a bad way, like fall into the streets or gangs and stuff like that,” Warren. “It was just for a better opportunity to make a name for myself on the field. Like I knew that I could come from anywhere, but I knew I would get more exposure and play on a bigger stage up here. Luckily I had a dad that was living up here, so I was able to come up here with him for my whole high school career.”
FORMATIVE MOMENTS
For the first part of his high school football journey, Warren chose to share it in his own way.
“I started off high school as a quarterback at Wharton (Tampa), but after not seeing the field for the first two games on JV (junior varsity), I decided to switch to end,” Warren said. “I started getting a couple of snaps on JV. One game I had three sacks, and that’s when I knew that rushing the edge was something I wanted to do. At the time I was undersized, so when I got moved up to varsity in the spring I played safety, wide receiver, and tight end. But I didn’t enjoy doing that, so when fall came back around and I wanted to switch back to end, I got moved back down to JV by the varsity head coach.”
Warren did not stop there.
“That just made me hungrier and lit a fire in me to go harder,” Warren continued. “So I got moved back up to varsity after the first game. I had two sacks and one tackle for loss. But I still wasn’t seeing the field on varsity because I was still undersized, so when winter came around I transferred to Sumner and fell into the hands of a great coach who turned me into the player I am today.”
TRANSFORMATIVE SITUATION
Sumner head coach Alonso Ashwood has been instrumental in Warren’s rise as a high school football standout in Hillsborough County.
“He played my position and played a few years in the NFL, so I knew If I listened to him and do everything he tells me to do, then I’ll succeed on the field,” Warren said. “So we worked all winter, all spring, and all summer long. Eventually before the season started, I was weighing in at 200+ lbs. Before I came, I was 175 [pounds] and when it came time for my junior year, that’s when I played my best football.”
Warren’s junior season statistics were as follows:
•9 sacks
•17 tackles for loss
•3 pass breakups
•1 forced fumble
After Warren’s junior season at Sumner, his college recruiting stock went up. He ended up earning 10 scholarship offers from The Citadel (final choice), Howard, Tennessee Tech, William Penn, Benedict, Allen, Henderson State, Livingstone, UNC Pembroke and UCF.
As a senior at Sumner, Warren registered the following statistics in eight games played:
•5 sacks
•8 tackles for loss
•2 forced fumbles
•1 interception
•1 blocked PAT
Warren’s best game was in Week 3 against Jefferson (Tampa). Here are the following statistics from Warren in that one:
•3 tackles for loss
•1 sack
•1 forced fumble
Warren reflected on his senior season at Sumner, which officially ended with him earning Defensive MVP honors at the Hillsborough County All-Star Game on Dec. 16, 2023.
“My senior year was fun,” Warren said. “I had got even closer with my teammates and coaches than my junior year. We went further in the playoffs to Round 3 [No. 1 seed in Class 4M-Region 2], but we came up short [20-14 loss to Plant (Tampa); 11-2 final record]. I made lifetime bonds from the start of my senior year in the spring. I can say that was the most fun I had in my whole football career.”
NOW OFF TO THE CITADEL
Warren got his offer from The Citadel on Jan. 3, the same day that Fertil and Wilcher received theirs.
Almost exactly one month later, Warren pledged his verbal commitment to the FCS school.
And several days after that, Warren went on to sign his letter of intent with the Bulldogs.
“Immediately when I got the offer, the bandit coach (Blaze Barista; outside linebackers coach) called me and told me how much of a baller I am, and he was already ready to get me on campus ASAP,” Warren said. “When I got there, all the coaches and players welcomed me. The players made it feel like home for me and somewhere I would want to be for the next few years of my life. Before I left, I had a meeting with the head coach [Maurice Drayton] and my position coach [Barista]. They told me not only did they want me, but they needed me, and that’s all I needed to hear.”
Warren summed up his thoughts on The Citadel experience from last month’s visit, which ultimately led to him signing with them.
“That a program was prioritizing me like that and made me feel like me coming, it would mean something and not just being a spot on the roster,” Warren said. “And my position coach, we built a relationship up to the signing day and I knew that I could trust him. Also, he’s not a stranger to playing freshmen, so I know if I come in and do the right stuff, I could make an immediate impact.”
COVER PHOTO CREDIT: The Citadel Football
PHOTO CREDITS: Provided photos
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