Baylor Adds Three-Star Safety Devin Watkins: What It Means for Bears' 2027 Class

Baylor's 2027 recruiting class grew by one on Monday as the Bears added their seventh commitment to the class. Three-star safety Devin Watkins pledged to Dave Aranda's program after visiting Waco for an official visit this past weekend.

The Bears have begun to emerge for some big-time players and Watkins was impressed enough to commit.

“It went amazing everything stood out to me but to be specific the coaching staff and the brotherhood that the team has really brought me in”, Watkins told SicEm365. “I’ve talked to majority of the coaches there message essentially was to come home and I did.”

Watkins is a three-star safety from Mesquite (TX) Mesquite Poteet. The 6-foot, 180-pound safety is ranked as a Composite three-star and the No. 1133 player in the 2027 class. Watkins is the No. 115 safety.

He joins four-star safety Davontrae Kirkland as the second defensive back in the class.

Watkins brings big-time speed to the table

Watkins isn't just a good football player, but he will bring elite speed to Baylor's secondary when he arrives in Waco. A track star, Watkins ran a 10.4 100m prior to the Bears sending an offer his way. Once Baylor offered, it became the first Power Four offer for Watkins.

10.45 100m and 4x1 @PoteetFB @PoteetTrack @dirtyque2 pic.twitter.com/c3i9LLJBuj
— DevinWatkins (@DevinWatkins142) March 13, 2026

Since Baylor offered, both Mississippi State and Wake Forest, among others, have offered Watkins.

On the football field, Watkins had a solid junior season. He recorded 86 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception. He has the ability to play either safety spot in Waco, and even some nickel.

Baylor might be building some momentum on the trail

Entering the weekend with six commitments, Baylor needed to impress, and impress it did. The Bears are now back in contention with four-star edge rusher Brayden Booth, after Kansas State seemingly took the lead in his recruitment.

The Bears hosted a pair of commits this past weekend: Chase Allen and Hudson Whitenight, and it's clear there was some recruiting pitches going.

After losing Carl Williams, Devyn Bobby, and others from its secondary, the Bears needed to add talent for Joe Klanderman moving forward. The Bears utilized the transfer portal as well as anyone this season, and Baylor added players who will make an impact in 2026.

But moving forward, Baylor doesn't want to add 30-plus players from the portal, and the Bears need to maximize their chances via the recruiting trail. Landing Watkins was a good start.

Add us as a preferred source on Google