Ryan Watts ready for life on cornerback island
The life on the field for a cornerback in football can be a lonely one, with the position often requiring one-on-one play against the opposing receiver. It’s a little like living on an island, with the man vs. man battle in a bubble away from the rest of the defense.
[Join Inside Texas today and get 50% off an annual subscription!]
This is where Texas senior cornerback Ryan Watts lives, and he likes it. A transfer from Ohio State in his second season with the Longhorns, Watts will be Texas’ boundary corner this season, meaning he will be on the short side of the field when the ball is spotted to be snapped.
Watts played in and started 13 games last season racking up 51 tackles (33 of them solo) and four tackles for a loss, a sack, an interception and four passes defended.
Those numbers were good enough to earn him an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the league’s coaches as well as honorable mention All-Big 12 Defensive Newcomer Player of the Year honors.
“We’ve been preparing throughout the offseason but especially being in game week now, everything we do is strictly about Rice,” Watts said Monday. “So it’s like getting back into that routine, like going back to last year and just being even more focused and honed in this year.”
Watts said that the Longhorns’ cornerback room has gotten a lot stronger and a lot deeper.
“A lot more guys are gonna be ready this year,” he said. “It’s a more mature room, especially being in the system again. There are a lot more of the players that (Steve Sarkisian) liked and recruited and so there’s that personal that connection.
“Coach (Terry) Joseph has really done a good job of just having us all compete and saying like, ‘nothing’s free.’ You don’t want to get too comfortable. So we just go out and compete.”
Watts and the rest of his secondary mates are much the better for working against the Texas receiver corps in the offseason.
“It definitely paves the way because going against those receivers every day you are definitely getting better,” Watts explained. “It’s no cupcake, no walkthrough. You gotta come with your A-game every day, just having that every day and making sure you’re on your Ps and Qs is going to keep you up to par.”
One of the points of emphasis for the Texas defense is creating turnovers. Watts said the team has worked on getting to the ball faster and getting it out when the players are there.
“We took that serious this this fall camp,” Watts explained. “The main part with that is just more effort, getting more guys to the ball and then good things are gonna happen. So just having more hats towards the ball, getting the ball loose.”
Whether in coverage or run support, Watts will be asked to be a key part of the Longhorn defense. It’s one he can’t wait to play during year two in Austin.
