Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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major offers from Alabama, Oregon and defending national champion Florida State. However, it was the offer from the in-state Longhorns that was the most difficult to turn down. "It was tough saying no to all the big names, but Texas was a little tougher," Watkins said. "They are always on television and in your face. Texas was definitely a hard one to pass on. They wanted me and I've watched them for a while. It's a hard school to pass on. "Then I started comparing it to Notre Dame, and I actually thought it would be harder to say no to Coach Kelly and pass on Notre Dame. My family pretty much agreed with me. That's just one of those opportunities you can't pass up on. I know I'll get a great education and compete for a championship, and I know that the staff cares about me and wants me." ✦ 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 intercep- tion 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.