One of college football’s highest-graded DL enters NCAA transfer portal

Sacramento State DL tackling another college football player | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Those who know college football and the transfer portal well, they understand that it's the gems from the trenches that tend to dictate success. On that note, a huge transfer target on the defensive line of scrimmage just annoucned that he'll be entering the NCAA transfer portal.

Who is this large man? Well, it's Sacramento State defensive tackle DeSean Watts. According to college football insider Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Watts has decided he'll enter the transfer portal when it officially opens in January following his sophomore season with the Hornets. Here was Zenitz' message, which noted Watts' impressive play in 2025:

"Sacramento State star defensive lineman DeSean Watts is entering the transfer portal, a source tells CBS Sports," he wrote on X. "The 6-foot-2, 320-pounder has the fourth-highest PFF grade among all Division I interior defenders this year (including both FCS and FBS players)."

As football positions, especially on the defensive side of the ball, have grown more mangled definitions and intermixed with each other so much, PFF often distills the front-seven into certain ranges of players, such as EDGE or, like Watts, a DI, or defensive interior — some hefty meatball who wrecks the run game and takes up as many blockers as possible.

Sacramento State Hornets college football players | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Background, stats on DeSean Watts

Prior to Sacramento State, Watts thrived at Fresno State Junior College. He wasn't a tackle machine, but when he got his paws on a ball carrier, very poor results tended to follow for the opposing offense. He recorded just 21 total tackles on the 2024 season as the team's ace inside, but 8.5 of those tackles were for a loss, and five of them were sacks. Just about one in every four times Watts tackled a player, it was the quarterback going down behind the line of scrimmage for a sack.

With Sacramento State in 2025, his production wasn't hurt too badly. DeSean Watts tallied up 36 tackles despite playing a higher level of football than he did the year prior, making four tackles for loss and totaling two sacks as well.

Beyond counting stats, Watts' most impressive feat is the PFF grade. To score as highly as he did among his defensive lineman peers signals Watts is an absolute workhouse in between the O-linemen. You can bet he'll be picked up by a major college football program. Productive guys on the defensive interior, with requisite size, are not easy to come by. And DeSean Watts is one of those dudes.