Ryan

Watts

Watts (6’3/208) was considered a four-star cornerback who originally enrolled at Ohio State and played 120 reps for the Buckeyes in 2021 before transferring to Texas and flourishing with the Longhorns. Watts is an extra-long, rangy safety with 34 ½” arms and an 81 ¾” wingspan who is adept at utilizing his appendages to pester receivers on the line and rake at the ball in coverage. He was hampered by a back injury that cost him three games this year, but still managed to make 38 tackles and 10 stops while missing just one tackle opportunity. His biggest issue was a dreadful 73.5% completion rate and 125.2 NFL passer rating allowed in coverage, bringing into question Watts’ ability to play corner at the next level and necessitating his move to safety during the draft process.

Texas recently picked up a commitment from former Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers, and can now add Watts (6'3/203) as the latest former Buckeye to be headed to the Longhorns in 2022. Watts is a former four-star cornerback from the 2020 recruiting class, and is a native of Little Elm, Texas, which likely played a role in his decision to transfer back home. In two seasons at Ohio State, Watts appeared on 148 defensive snaps per Pro Football Focus, which included 120 snaps in 2021 where he totaled six tackles and two interceptions while allowing just two receptions for 13 yards on five targets. Watts should have a chance to make an immediate impact for the Longhorns, who also added two four-star cornerback recruits from the 2022 class.

Watts (6'3"/203) entered the transfer portal on Friday. He was in a tough position in Columbus, as the Buckeyes have a loaded defensive back room. Watts redshirted in 2020 before starting the opener against Minnesota at cornerback. He was shortly thereafter moved to safety and didn’t start another game. Watts tied for the team lead in interceptions with two but his impact was mostly limited outside of that, amassing just six tackles. Watts will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

This is the first of three officials that Watts (6'2/187) has scheduled over the next month, as according to 247Sports he will visit Oklahoma the weekend of April 12 and Arkansas the weekend of May 3. The Little Elm, Texas native ran a 4.59 second 40-yard dash at The Opening regional combine last month, and he’s ranked 30th among cornerbacks in the 2020 class by 247Sports.

Watts (6'2/187) made his pledge to Lincoln Riley’s program one week after his official visit to the school. The Little Elm, Texas native is Oklahoma’s seventh verbal commitment in the 2020 class, with six being Texas natives. Watts is also the second defensive back in the class, joining Dontae Manning. Watts also held offers from programs such as Notre Dame, Arkansas, Stanford, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

This is commonplace in recruiting; until a prospect signs his Letter of Intent (which the 2020 class can’t do until November at the earliest) programs will continue to make their pitches. In an interview with Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman, Watts (6'2/187) cited the defense that new DC Alex Grinch will use being a good fit for his skill set. “It’s a lot of press-man, how I play defense. Being the first one (cornerback) they recruited meant a lot to me (sic) and it’s gonna help them out to have the players they want to fit their system,” Watts said. The four-star recruit noted that Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech are the schools that have spoken with him the most since he committed to Oklahoma.

Just over a week after he announced his decision to de-commit from Oklahoma, Watts (6'2/187) made his verbal pledge to Ohio State Sunday afternoon. The four-star defensive back was said to be considering Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech at the time of his de-commitment, but Ryan Day’s Buckeyes have managed to win the race for Watts. The Little Elm, Texas native (Little Elm HS), who took an official visit to Ohio State the weekend of September 21, was timed at 4.59 seconds in the 40 at a regional camp for The Opening back in March. Ohio State now has 23 verbal commitments in its 2020 class to date.

Watts had committed back to Oklahoma in April, but he’s received a lot of interest since then, and despite saying he was fully committed in May, he’s decided to take another look at things. He’s also considering schools like Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech, and it’s not known at this time if the Sooners are still in the mix for the 6-foot-2, 187-pound corner.