Desmond Watson Shuts Down Recruitment, Talks Fit With Florida Gators
After committing to Florida on July 30th, Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) 2021 defensive tackle Desmond Watson has "most definitely" shut down his recruitment, he told Sports Illustrated-AllGators in an interview on Tuesday.
Watson, a 6-6, 350 lb nose tackle., is one of four defensive linemen committed to the Gators in the class of 2021, and was a priority target for Florida along the way as defensive line coach David Turner looked to beef up the trenches and secure long-term depth in his second year on the job.
"So, in the past years they haven't had real big interior D-linemen," Watson said of Florida. "I'm going to make a change being a bigger, interior presence, being able to push the pocket, be a big run stopper, that's probably the big thing."
Watson has made it clear that he has no intention of redshirting as he believes his skill-set could help the Gators right out of the gate. He's a big player, and admits that he will dedicate himself to the strength and conditioning program at Florida, but Watson believes he can make an impact on every down rather than only contribute as an early-down run-stopper.
"I'm gonna try to make me a three-down player. I'm going to get in better shape, be in better condition so I can go the whole game, first through fourth down," said Watson. "That's the thing, people look at me and like, I'm big, so they think I'm just gonna sit there and plug a gap. But at the same time, you watch my film, you know that I can move better than most people my size, if anybody's even up there with me."
With the run-stuffing label hovering over his head, Watson claims that most offensive linemen prepare for a bull-rush when facing him on pass-downs and attempt to anchor. That sets Watson up well for his favorite pass-rushing move, the swim move, where offensive linemen start "looking silly" in response to Watson's quickness.
"I don't like to just be labeled as a big dude who just sits there and plugs gaps," said Watson. "I gotta show off the finesse sometimes too."
Watson has been overly productive for Armwood, recording 109 tackles, 16 sacks, 57 tackles for loss, and five batted passes over the past two seasons.
Yet, he believes he's been underrated by recruiting services given his film and production. Watson is considered a consensus three-star prospect, which he says puts a chip on his shoulder.
"It does, but at the same time, I gotta show up when I get there, and go to the next level and do something at the next level so they can know," Watson. "I was never a person that should be looked down upon. I just, you know, I guess they looked over me. I'm 6-6 but they looked over me, so I don't know. I just gotta make an impact and shut 'em up."