Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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other for nearly two years, and the bond between them is much stronger than the typical player-coach relationship. "Coach Cooks is unreal," Watkins discussed. "He's a big part of why I want to be at Notre Dame. He and I have become really close since he first started recruiting me, and he's always made me a priority. He treats me like family, and I feel like he'd still be cool with me even if I decided to commit elsewhere. Just being cool with me like that was why it was so great to tell him that I wanted to go to Notre Dame." Although Watkins' announcement went public Nov. 1, the No. 11 overall cornerback in the country actually Film Analysis Strengths Watkins is one of the most polished cornerbacks in the nation … He has long arms and is physical on the line of scrimmage … His hands may be the best part of his game … He takes advantage of interception opportunities and creates turnovers in the secondary … His work ethic, ability to quickly understand the defensive game plan and effort give a great chance to contribute as a true freshman in the Irish's defensive scheme. Areas To Improve He needs to continue to get stronger and bigger in the weight room … His aggressive nature can sometimes get the best of him … He needs to make sure he doesn't get caught peaking in the backfield and needs to avoid taking too many risks … That type of play will usually create more turnovers for the defense, but is occasionally the cause of big plays for the offense. — Tom Loy