Advertisement
football Edit

Time Is Ripe For Notre Dame CB Nick Watkins To Emerge As Senior

Brian Kelly and the Irish staff are expecting a breakout year from senior corner Nick Watkins (7).
Brian Kelly and the Irish staff are expecting a breakout year from senior corner Nick Watkins (7). (Photo by Corey Bodden)

Don’t miss out on any of our exclusive football, basketball and recruiting coverage. Click here to get your 30-day free trial!

Among Notre Dame’s five scholarship cornerbacks on the 2017 roster, senior Nick Watkins’ one start is the fewest in the group.

Sophomores Julian Love, Donte Vaughn and Troy Pride Jr., started eight, four and three times, respectively, as freshmen on last year’s ravaged corps. Even junior Shaun Crawford started the first two games before his second straight season ending injury shelved him.

Yet, the 6-1, 207-pound Watkins, sidelined all of 2016 with a broken humerus, talks not about “just wanting to contribute and help the team” this year, nor “competing.”

“Just dominate,” the confident Watkins replied when asked about his 2017 goals. “Just try to relax. Everybody out here is on scholarship, but I want to show myself … I didn’t have a great first two, first three years. Show that I can play here and be a dominant corner.”

During the spring, Watkins separated himself as the team’s top corner with his combination of range, coverage skills and speed. That has continued into training camp.

“He’s done a really nice job with consistency,” said head coach Brian Kelly of Watkins. “He’s a guy that [new defensive coordinator] Mike Elko has a great deal of confidence in what he’s doing and how he’s performing.”

The lone Irish cornerback recruit in 2014, the DeSoto, Texas native played in 11 games on special teams as a freshman, and then in 2015 apprenticed behind the corner tandem of KeiVarae Russell and Cole Luke.

His starting debut came in the 44-28 Fiesta Bowl loss versus Ohio State. Although he was often targeted by the Buckeyes, Watkins held up well in coverage and instantly put himself in line to be a mainstay in 2016, prior to his injury.

“The arm’s healed,” Watkins said. “I’ve got the hardware in there and it’s good. Once that hesitation was gone — and that was pretty much in the first periods of spring practice — it’s like ‘You’re good. It’s time to push yourself and get thing rolling.’”

Watkins said he tended to overthink throughout his first three years.

“I didn’t make the game fun,” he said. “It wasn’t a game, it was too business-like. Now I’m pushing myself and I’m having fun every play, every down, ups or downs it doesn’t matter. As a corner especially, you can’t dwell in the past.”

The son of Bobby Watkins, a former second-round pick at cornerback who played seven years in the NFL, the younger Watkins could be the kind of figure whose career appeared to be on the scrap heap until a terrific senior year — or fifth season — turned his fortunes around personally, and/or collectively uplifted the team.

Here is a dozen of the best examples at Notre Dame over the past 70 years. Can Watkins join the group?

12. Jonas Gray (2011)

Through his first three years he had only 309 yards rushing, barely 4.0 yards per carry and no touchdowns. As a senior, he detonated with 791 yards rushing, 6.9 yards per carry and 12 TDs prior to a severe knee injury in the home finale.

Still a free agent prospect in the NFL, Gray did make the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2014 after a 201-yard, four-touchdown performance in one game for New England.


11. Eric Dorsey (1985)

A five-star caliber defensive line recruit in his time, he meandered along and had only 44 tackles (four for lost yardage) through three years. Then as a senior, he exploded with with 87 stops, 15 for lost yardage, and was the 19th pick of the NFL Draft — and played for the Super Bowl champion New York Giants as a rookie.


10. Paul Seiler (1966)

He played seven minutes at offensive tackle as a sophomore and about five minutes per game as a junior. As a senior, not only did Seiler play the most minutes (208) on offense for the national champs, but he also was the 12th pick in the NFL Draft, three spots ahead of teammate Alan Page, a Hall of Famer in college and the NFL.


9. Arnaz Battle (2002)

The Parade All-American quarterback was switched to receiver his senior year and finished with five catches for 40 yards. In his fifth season, though, his 58 receptions were the most by an Irish player in 25 years, and his performance helped the Irish to an 8-0 and 10-1 start. He played nine years in the NFL.


8. Dick Lynch (1957)

A reserve as a sophomore in 1955, he fell to third team during a 2-8 campaign in 1956, playing sparingly on offense and was not among the top 18 tacklers on defense.

As a senior in 1957, he starred as a two-way player as Notre Dame finished No. 10 in the AP poll, highlighted by Lynch’s four-yard TD on fourth down in the 7-0 victory at Oklahoma to snap the Sooners' NCAA-record 47-game winning streak. With the New York Giants he led the NFL in interceptions in 1961 and 1963 with nine apiece.


7. Gary Potempa (1973)

He recorded four tackles as a sophomore and nine as a junior as a linebacker/special teams performer. Then as a senior for the unexpected 1973 national champs, Potempa became a hybrid middle linebacker/nose guard and finished with the second-most tackles (75, seven for lost yardage) and shared a Sports Illustrated cover when the Irish ended USC’s 23-game unbeaten streak.

He never was drafted, but he maximized his college career.


6. Kevin McDougal (1993)

Through his first three years he had attempted only 21 passes (completing 14) as a reserve QB. When finally given his chance as a senior, he became a superb leader and clutch performer.

Like Potempa, he wasn’t drafted, but McDougal did become Notre Dame’s all-time pass efficiency king during an 11-1 season in which the Irish defeated No. 1 Florida State, 31-24.


5. Frank Stams (1988)

The starting fullback as a sophomore in 1985, he sat out 1986 with an injury and in 1987 he was a reserve linebacker who recorded 14 tackles.

Out of nowhere during the 1988 national title campaign, he became a consensus All-American rush end and became a second-round NFL pick.


4. Reggie Brooks (1992)

Because he was the fifth-team tailback as a sophomore in 1990, he temporarily moved to defense before returning to a limited role at tailback as a junior, carrying only 18 times.

As a 1992 Brooks racked up 1,343 yards rushing, an amazing 8.0 yards per carry and 13 TDs. He literally made an unconscious TD run against Michigan, romped for 227 yards rushing and three scores in a victory at USC, and made the diving two-point reception in the closing seconds of a 17-16 victory versus Penn State during a top-5 campaign.

The second-round pick rushed for more than 1,000 yards as an NFL rookie.


3. Joe Montana (1977)

As a freshman, the Parade All-American was seventh on the depth chart. As a sophomore, he completed only 42.4 percent of his passes — and eight of his 66 attempts were intercepted prior to getting injured. As a junior, he was sidelined with a separated shoulder.

Finally as a senior in 1977, he was third team. The pre-season favorite to win the national title, the Irish stumbled to a 1-1 start and then trailed 24-14 at Purdue in the fourth quarter of the third game. Embattled head coach Dan Devine turned in desperation to Montana. Not only did he rally the Irish to a 31-24 victory in the final quarter at Purdue, he saved the season on the brink with a national title.

From what we understand, he did pretty well in the NFL too.


1 tie. John Huarte & Jack Snow (1964)

As juniors for the 2-7 team in 1963 under interim coach Hugh Devore, Huarte was the No. 3 QB who had yet to earn a monogram, and Snow was a reserve halfback with three carries.

Under new boss Ara Parseghian in 1964, the Irish were awarded the MacArthur Bowl, emblematic of a national title. Huarte became the first quarterback in school history to pass for more than 2,000 yards (2,062) in a season and won the Heisman Trophy. Snow, shifted to receiver, caught 60 passes for 1,114 yards and nine scores to finish fifth in the Heisman balloting and become the No. 8 pick in the 1965 NFL Draft.

----

Talk about it inside Rockne's Roundtable

Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes

• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.

• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @BGI_CoachD,

@BGI_MattJones, @BGI_DMcKinney and @BGI_CoreyBodden.

• Like us on Facebook


Advertisement