Tag: Desmond Watson

2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Defensive Line

One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2022 season for Florida might be the defensive line. There’s not a whole lot of experience to work with but there’s plenty of talent.

There’s less than a week left until Florida kicks off the 2022 college football season, and Gators Wire is breaking down the entire roster before kick-off. After working our way through the offense, it’s time to look at the defensive side of the ball, the unit that struggled significantly more in 2021.

First up is the defensive line, which includes both tackle positions and a strongside defensive end. [autotag]Gervon Dexter[/autotag] Sr. is the outright leader of the group following the departure of veterans such as [autotag]Zach Carter[/autotag] and [autotag]Khris Bogle[/autotag] among others. The position room is relatively young and inexperienced, leaving Dexter as the only player locked into a starting role.

The good news is that those young players should be ready to take a big step forward. It will become evident who can handle the increased workload and who can’t rather quickly, and the depth chart should be much more clear following the first few weeks of action. Still, we have a pretty good idea of what things will look like up front for UF against Utah on Saturday.

Here’s a look at all 12 offensive linemen on the Gators’ 2022 fall football roster. Edge rushers will be included with our breakdown of the outside linebackers on the team.

See also:

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Quarterbacks

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Running Backs

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Wide Receivers

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Tight Ends

2023 Florida Football Season Preview: Offensive Line

2021 Gators Football Recruiting Profile: Desmond Watson

This is a prospect player profile for defensive tackle Desmond Watson of the Florida Gators football recruiting class of 2021.

Name: Desmond Watson

Position: Defensive Tackle

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 380 lbs

Hometown: Seffner, Fla.

High School: Armwood High School

Twitter: @DesmondWatson12

247Sports Composite: ⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

Successful in landing four-star running back/wide receiver Charles Montgomery’s commitment on May 24, the Florida Gators landed another Armwood High School Hawk, located in Seffner, about 130 miles south of Gainesville, in three-star Desmond Watson on July 30.

A massive defensive tackle at 6-foot-5 and 380 pounds, he is the No. 21 player at his position and a top-55 player in the state, per the 247Sports Composite.

The whirlwind life of a Power Five student-athlete is not unfamiliar to Watson, as his half-brother, Darrian McNeal, a three-star prospect in the 2017 class, played one season for then-head coach Willie Taggart’s Oregon Ducks, catching two passes for 10 yards (five avg.) and adding three rushing attempts for 21 yards (seven avg.).

Unfortunately, McNeal’s athletic career took a dark turn, as he left the Ducks in the spring of 2018 and was arrested and charged with first-degree theft and second-degree robbery in June 2020, following an incident at a Eugene apartment.

As for Watson, he originally picked up his Florida offer on January 17, 2019, and he attended two Junior Days in an approximately five-week span from February 1-to-March 7, 2020. Primarily recruited by defensive line coach David Turner and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray, he chose the Gators over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida Atlantic Owls, South Florida Bulls, West Virginia Mountaineers and 16 reported others.

Andrew Ivins, a Miami Hurricanes insider for 247Sports, highlights Watson’s quick hands and effectiveness against double teams as some of his strengths and points to his weight as a possible concern.

Overall, he is the fourteenth-highest rated of the program’s 24 commits in the upcoming cycle and the eighth-highest on the defensive side of the football. Turner has picked up pledges from three defensive linemen in the class, with Fort Lauderdale’s Tyreak Sapp and Sumter, South Carolina’s Justus Boone, both four-stars, joining Watson.

Video

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Gators recruiting target four-star DE Tunmise Adeleye decommits from OSU

Four-star strongside defensive end prospect Tunmise Adeleye announced on Tuesday his decision to decommit from OSU for the 2021 class cycle.

Four-star strongside defensive end prospect Tunmise Adeleye announced on Tuesday via Twitter his decision to decommit from Ohio State University for the 2021 recruiting class cycle.

The country’s No. 4 rated strongside defensive end and No. 30 overall recruit in the 2021 class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings out of prospect powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., committed to Ohio State back in April. At the time he said it was a lifelong dream of his to be Buckeye, but it appears that he has had a change of heart.

OSU is one of four schools listed by 247Sports as “warm” interest locations for the young defensive lineman’s services, which also includes the University of Florida, Alabama and Texas A&M.

While there are some concerns regarding size and athleticism, the 6-foot-3-inch, 245-pounder would add some more beef to a defensive line class that already includes five-star SDE Tyreak Sapp and three-star Justus Boone, as well as three-star defensive tackles Christopher Thomas and Desmond Watson, the latter who just recently committed to the Gators back on July 30. 

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Three-star defensive tackle Desmond Watson joins the Florida Gators’ 2021 class

Three-star Armwood (Seffner, Florida) defensive tackle Desmond Watson became the latest member of the Gators’ 2021 class on Thursday.

The program’s fifth commit in July, three-star Armwood (Seffner, Florida) defensive tackle Desmond Watson became the latest member of the Gators’ 2021 class on Thursday.

He broke the news on his Twitter account.

Teammates with fellow Florida pledge Charles Montgomery, the mammoth Watson, listed at 6-foot-5-inches and 350 pounds, has racked up 119 tackles (60 for loss), 18 sacks, and four forced fumbles during his first three years with the Hawks, including 34 TFL and 10 sacks as a junior.

His half-brother, Darrian McNeal, a three-star wide receiver in the 2017 cycle, played one season in Eugene for the Oregon Ducks, catching two passes for 10 yards (five avg.) and adding three rushing attempts for 21 yards (seven avg.).

Unfortunately, McNeal’s story did not have a happy ending as he left the Ducks’ program in April 2018 and was charged with first-degree theft and second-degree robbery on June 26, 2020, following an incident at an apartment two days prior.

Watson originally picked up his offer from defensive line coach David Turner and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray on January 17, 2019, and attended two Junior Days in Gainesville this year, the first in February and the second the month after.

He chose the Gators over seven other Southeastern Conference (SEC) programs, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Georgia Bulldogs, Kentucky Wildcats, LSU Tigers, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Tennessee Volunteers, and Texas A&M Aggies.

Andrew Ivins, a Miami Hurricanes insider for 247Sports, compared Watson to former Alabama standout Terrence Cody, who garnered first-team All-SEC and unanimous All-American honors in 2008 and 2009.

Overall, he is the twelfth-highest rated of Florida’s 23 commits and the sixth-highest on the defensive side of the football. Joining Fort Lauderdale’s Tyreak Sapp and Sumter, South Carolina’s Justus Boone, both four-stars, and Fort Myers’ Christopher Thomas, a three-star, Watson is the fourth defensive lineman in the group.

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