Cliff-notes: Texas picked up its fifth commitment for the 2019 recruiting class, as Loganville (Ga.) Grayson cornerback Kenyatta Watson announced his decision on Tuesday evening.
Rankings: The 6-2, 183-pound Watson is currently rated the No.112 overall prospect in the country in the latest Rivals250 and is the No.13 overall prospect in Georgia.
Key Offers: Notre Dame, Florida, Georgia, Auburn, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&M, Penn State and USC.
Evaluation: Watson is pretty much the prototype in terms of physical ability, as he brings a perfect blend of size and raw athleticism to the defensive backfield. A silky, smooth athlete that makes everything he does look pretty effortless, Watson is still a player trying to figure out how to harness his immense upside, which is another way of saying that he looks like a player that hasn't begun to play his best football yet. Although listed as a cornerback, it's easy to see Watson being a player that can play almost anywhere in the secondary and it wouldn't be a huge shock to eventually see him developing into a safety that can make plays all over the field. He's probably not as ready-made for immediate playing time as his ranking might suggest, but after a season or two of grooming,you might have a Sunday player on your hands.
From Rivals analyst Chad Simmons: "The first thing that jumps out to me about Watson is his work ethic. Nobody is going to out-work Watson and that is why he is ranked as one of the top defensive backs in the 2019 class. He has really grown a lot as a player of the last year to year and a half. He played free safety his first couple of years of high school, then was moved to cornerback last year. By the end of the year, quarterbacks were not throwing his way. I love his versatility, his length and his smarts. He still has to add weight and get stronger, but that will come in time. He is going to enter Texas with the proper mindset and be ready to compete with whoever is on the roster at his position. Just having a kid like Watson on the team makes it better because of his work ethic and the way he competes."
Why it matters: It had been a month since the Longhorns had tasted recruiting glory via the announcement of a high-profile commitment and the program needed a shot in the arm after a couple of very disappointing in-state losses in Garrett Wilson and DeMarvin Leal. In Watson, the Longhorns establish some recruiting roots in the state of Georgia by taking one of the very best from the land of peaches, a player that at one point was committed to Florida State before opening up his recruitment, which finds a new resolution tonight in Tom Herman's favor. With the tea leaves suggesting that in-state recruiting in 2019 will be tougher sledding than it was a year ago, more of the heavy lifting in this year's class will need to come from out of state prospects. The goal in recruiting is to land as many bad ass prospects as possible... and Watson qualifies as a bad ass prospect.
