Maraad Watson Flips From Kent State, Commits to and Signs With Syracuse Over Tennessee
Syracuse football has landed a commitment from Irvington (NJ) High defensive tackle Maraad Watson, who was previously committed to Kent State. Watson signed with the Orange on Wednesday.
Watson was also being heavily pursued by Nebraska and Tennessee, both of whom offered earlier this month. In fact, he originally had an official slated for Nebraska this past weekend before cancelling that in favor of Tennessee. That trip was not enough to overtake the Orange. .
Watson took an official visit to Syracuse during the previous weekend along with his his high school teammate Jahide Lesaine. Lesaine committed the Sunday night following the trip. Now Watson will join him in Central New York.
Watson is a 6-3, 285 pound defensive tackle prospect. His high school head coach, Smoke Pierre, thinks Watson has a tremendously high ceiling at the next level.
"Dominates the line of scrimmage every single week," Pierre said. "Quick twitch kid that plays with violence. Maraad has strong hands, plays well with short space and is explosive."
Watson was a late entry to the power five recruiting scene. After committing to Kent State earlier this month, power five schools started recruiting him hard. Offers came from Rutgers, Syracuse, Nebraska and Tennessee. Others were inquiring as well. Ultimately, though, Watson felt at home during his Syracuse visit and that was enough to earn his commitment.
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