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Purdue gets commitment from East St. Louis WR Jesse Watson

On3 imageby: Tom Dienhart04/21/23TomDienhart1

Purdue has tapped into the St. Louis-area by landing a commitment from East St. Louis receiver Jesse Watson on Friday. He is the sixth commitment in the Boilermakers’ 2024 class and the first receiver.

The 5-9, 150-pound Watson is a fast and shifty wideout for the iconic East St. Louis program coached by Darren Sunkett. Watson helped the Flyers win the Illinois Class 6A state title in 2022, the program’s 10th state title. That’s why East St. Louis is hailed as the “City of Champions.”

Watson made 29 receptions for 430 yards and eight TDs last season. He has 43 catches for 753 yards and 10 TDs in three seasons with the Flyers.

Watson visited West Lafayette earlier this month. He had offers from the likes of Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, UNLV and Iowa State, among others.

MORE Diminutive 2024 East St. Louis WR Jesse Watson impressed by Purdue | 2024 Purdue commitments

Watson has developed a quick relationship with Boilermaker associate head coach/receivers coach Cory Patterson, who at one time was the head coach at Trinity Catholic High School in St. Louis and then an assistant on the Illinois staff with Ryan Walters before following him to Purdue this offseason.

What type of a wideout is Watson?

“I’m a jack-of-all-trades receiver,” said Watson, who doubles as a punt return man. “I can go deep, intermediate. I’m pretty much an all-around wideout. Pretty quick.”

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