Washington adds OL depth with a commitment from Michael Watkins

The Washington Huskies added another member of Arizona’s 2024 recruiting class on Thursday, also bolstering their offensive line depth.

The Washington Huskies added much-needed depth along the offensive line on Thursday, earning a commitment from Michael Watkins, a product of Apollo High School in Glendale, Arizona. With his commitment, Watkins becomes the eighth member of Arizona’s class of 2024 to follow coach Jedd Fisch after he made the move to Seattle.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 282 pounds, he projects as an interior lineman at the next level and could end up being asked to play center for the Huskies. On film, he displays very good movement skills for his size and generates a lot of power as a run blocker when moving downhill.

Apollo asked him to mainly play right guard, but Watkins would also line up at H-back and go into motion before the play, usually before the ball would be placed in the hands of another Washington commit.

Watkins was high school teammates with Washington signee Adam Mohammed, who recorded the most yards in the state of Arizona last season. While running behind Watkins, Mohammed also scored 113 total touchdowns, leaving him one score shy of the state record set by Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

While Watkins held just two offers when he committed to Arizona, he appears to be a good fit for the scheme that offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll wants to utilize up front, especially if he ends up at center.

His commitment brings the Huskies up to 11 scholarship offensive linemen with over a month before spring ball is set to get underway. Watkins was set to enroll early with the Wildcats and appears to be on track to arrive in Seattle by the beginning of the spring quarter in April.