Defensive Lineman Desmond Watson Signs With the Florida Gators
The Florida Gators defensive front just got a little beefier as 6-foot-5, 350-pound defensive tackle Desmond Watson out of Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) has officially signed his national letter of intent as a member of the Florida Gators 2021 recruiting class.
Watson originally verbally committed to the Gators on July 30. Due to his large frame, Watson brings a big-time strength factor to the Florida defensive line, something they'll need after being projected to lose multiple key players following the 2020 season.
The Gators originally offered Watson in Jan. 2019, and he was able to visit the university multiple times prior to his commitment, including during the team's junior day prior to the dead period that has since been extended seemingly until the next recruiting class is available.
Projecting as a nose tackle, Watson was impressive during his prep career. According to Maxpreps.com, Watson totaled 29 tackles (25 solos), three sacks and 15 tackles-for-loss in just six games this season. In total, he's managed 104 solo tackles, 75 TFL and 21 sacks through his career.
You can check out a full breakdown of Watson's fit with the Gators here and his SI All American profile here. You can welcome Desmond to Florida by following him on Twitter here.
Bottom Line: If Watson can get down to 315 pounds you’re going to have a three-year starter and impact player on the power-5 level. He’s so strong that it’s almost unfair on the high school level. Until then, he’s an elite two-down run stopper and offensive line occupier.