Steve Sarkisian on why Ohio State transfer Ryan Watts has made instant impact

As Texas remakes their secondary on the defensive side of the football, Steve Sarkisian has been impressed with former Ohio State defensive back Ryan Watts. In a media availability earlier this week, Sarkisian detailed how Watts has made an instant impact with the Longhorns.

“Tough to call,” Sarkisian responded, when asked if Watts was the best cover guy in the secondary. “He’s different. You know? Because of the length. When he can press you and get his hands on you, it’s very different than like DJ [D’Shawn Jamison], who can play top-down because of the speed and the change of direction. So, it’s also what style of player are you, and playing to your strengths as a player. And I think that that’s something we’ve tried to emphasize to those guys in the back-end.”

During two seasons at Ohio State, Watts accumulated just 11 total tackles and two interceptions. The former four-star recruit, per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average, will be on the hunt for more with the Longhorns.

It’s evident Steve Sarkisian is expecting a lot out of Ryan Watts — time will tell if he can deliver.

Steve Sarkisian on Texas secondary: ‘They’ll only get more and more comfortable with as we move forward.’

Moreover, Steve Sarkisian then looked to a few guys in the Texas secondary, with a major haul coming there for the Longhorns. There will be some freshman influence in the back end when the season begins but Ohio State Buckeyes transfer Ryan Watts also stood out to the head coach.

“I thought Terrance Brooks had a good day,” Sarkisian stated last week. “Ryan Watts had a good day. Larry (Turner-Gooden) and BJ (Allen), I think in the backend. Looking at the tape, I don’t know exactly. Were they seeing the right keys and were their eyes in the right spot? So we’ll have to assess that. I thought (Jaylon) Guilbeau looked good. I think he settled down, I think he was pretty excited early on. So, all in all, for those guys, first practice, new routine, new practice structure. We try to get a lot done in two hours so a lot of moving parts there that they’ll only get more and more comfortable with as we move forward.”

Sarkisian has another month to get all of the new players accustomed to being a part of the Texas program. A massive season is ahead of the Longhorns, looking to improve upon their 5-7 record from last season. A better performance will be needed from Sarkisian as he works through a mini rebuild.