Tales From The Trail: How Norcross QB AJ Watkins Deals With Expectation

No, this isn't the regularly scheduled programming you've become accustomed to on Volunteer Country. While we are still charging forward with our sights locked on the Vols this year, a few stories resonated with me this past summer when I was on the recruiting trail. These stories deserve to be told, even if they won't be built at the University of Tennessee.

One of my early stops was to Norcross High School in Georgia. I watched their early season scrimmage against Buford, a southeast powerhouse that added the No. 1 quarterback in the country this offseason. The field carried several dozen future Power-5 football prospects on both sides, but my eyes kept returning to Norcross quarterback AJ Watkins. The talented dual-threat logged 2,738 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns during his junior season in 2022. He quickly picked up several offers but chose the Air Force over several other suitors. Watkins now has the recruiting process behind him, but his journey is just beginning.

Watkins carries a lot at a young age. He's a starting high school quarterback, which carries enough eyes as is and is also attending a service academy upon completing his high school graduation. "Sometimes I sit back and think about everything that's happened in the past year, what will happen in the next one," Watkins said in an exclusive interview with Volunteer Country. "But I've asked for it all. I'm grateful that I get to work toward two-lifetime goals every day."

"He's a guy, man," a Norcross staffer told me. The coaching staff routinely raved about Watkins's work ethic and personality when I spent time with them. "That smile keeps the building going," a coach laughed. "When things get tough, and they will, we usually know AJ's going to come in with a smile." That positivity resonated with me in our sit-down with Watkins; he came in quietly, was energetic when answering, and was attentive.

"We're here right now. This is the moment," Watkins explained. "I want to work hard. I want to accomplish my goals. But I also want to have fun doing it. I'm doing something a lot of people would do anything to do - it's my job to make sure I don't waste it." He knows that people in the community are talking about him. He knows his teammates and coaches expect him to perform when the lights come on. He knows what comes on the other side of his football career. Watkins embraces it all because, at the end of the day, he's already won.

"I get to represent this awesome community by putting on Norcross colors every Friday," he said. "That's special. This team, these guys; they're my why. It's fun to wake up every day and come to work with your brothers."

Norcross itself carries high expectations into 2023. They finished 8-4 a year ago, closing out the year on an 8-2 run. The Blue Devils won seven games in a row at the midway point of the season and were one of the state's top teams. They had already won their first game of Watkins's senior year, defeating Marietta High School, 45-23. Watkins tallied 235 all-purpose yards and scored three total touchdowns. The confidence in their building is high, and Watkins is ready for the road ahead. "We've worked all summer for this," he glowed. "It's time."

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