COMING HOME: Ryan Watts picks Texas
It seems Quinn Ewers isn’t the only Texan leaving Columbus, Ohio, to play for the Longhorns. Ohio State cornerback Ryan Watts, a redshirt freshman from Little Elm, announced his verbal pledge to Steve Sarkisian, Pete Kwiatkowski, Terry Joseph, and the Texas Longhorns.
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“I just felt I really liked the coaching staff,” Watts told Inside Texas. “I had long conversations with them and with my family. I have a good relationship with Coach Joseph. He recruited me at Notre Dame. I took an (official visit) there. He coaches people to what their strengths are.”
Watts entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on December 11. He was a four-star prospect in the On3 Consensus in the Buckeyes’ top five 2021 class. He returns to Texas after playing in 19 games for Ohio State. He chose the Longhorns as his new home over the Baylor Bears.
Part of the reason he’s returning to the Lone Star State? To be closer to family.
“I want to come in and play and make my mark,” Watts said. “I’m happy to be a Longhorn and ready to go to work.”
He started the 2021 season opener against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and played in all 12 games. He recorded six tackles and was tied for the OSU team lead with two interceptions.
What are the Longhorns getting in Watts, who garnered 36 offers including Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Baylor, Georgia, LSU, Stanford, Texas A&M, and Washington during his high school recruitment?
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“I consider myself a real physical football player,” Watts said. “I want to get my hands on (receivers) and interrupt their route tree however I can.”
Watts is the second transfer to join the Longhorn football program following the completion of the 2021 season along with Ewers.
Excerpt from the Recruiting Notebook:
Watts is a good one. Showed up to The Opening at 6-foot-3, 187 pounds and ran a 4.59 40, 4.01 shuttle, and had a 38” vertical.
He got some action last year early for the Buckeyes before they zeroed in on other options at cornerback. He played a lot against Minnesota and played a fair amount of press-man on an island and then also some off coverage when they’d play Cover 3. He was good in both but is now listed at 203 and a real problem in press coverage because he actually has the feet and speed to recover. Good tackler as well.
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