4 Star DT Carlos Watkins commits to Clemson

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Oct 14 23:30:49 GMT-04:00 2011

Chase High School head coach Daniel Bailey figured it out once he saw a ton of orange and white balloons arrive at his school around lunchtime today.

Everyone else had to wait to see who defensive lineman Carlos Watkins Carlos Watkins
Defensive Line
6-4, 285
Forest City, NC
View Full Profile would pick.

However, they didn’t have to wait too long as Watkins made it official shortly after Chase’s 63-21 victory over St. Jude, picking Clemson over Florida, becoming the 19th verbal commitment of the 2012 Clemson recruiting class.

The 6-4, 290-pound 4-star prospect had offers from many of the nation’s top programs, but had recently narrowed his choices down to Clemson and Florida, but ended the suspense late Friday.

“It was wild,” Bailey told TigerNet shortly after the decision. “They had a countdown from 10, and then he busted out through a banner in a golf cart with those orange and white balloons on it. There was a lot of excitement. I honestly didn’t know, though, until I went out at lunch and saw those balloons and then I knew. I feel like he made a great choice.”

Bailey said that he feels like Watkins chose the Tigers because of the comfort factor and how close it is to home.

“I think that some of what ultimately led him to Clemson was just the distance from home,” he said. “It came down to it being closer for him, and kids who have a solid home life like Carlos does, they won't get too far away from that stability factor. Someone who doesn’t have that stability will try and go away and start new, but that isn’t the case with Carlos. I think he wanted to stay at home and be with his family.”

Watkins is the nation’s No. 9 defensive line prospect, and the No. 4-rated prospect in the state of North Carolina.

As a junior, Watkins had 50 tackles, 29 tackles for loss and 14 sacks. On offense, he also caught 11 passes for 237 yards while rushing for 270 yards on 65 carries.

“People just don’t realize how athletic this kid is,” Bailey told TigerNet last month. “There are a lot of players in the nation that can go out and do what he does on defense. But there are not a lot of them that can go out and play wide out at his size, and we do put him in the slot sometimes. He has the best hands on the team, hands down. In our first game, he actually caught a 26-yard pass on a skinny post and took it for a touchdown. He is so athletic it is ridiculous. He is like a defensive back or a running back that is in the body of a defensive lineman.”

Watkins joins Martin Aiken Martin Aiken
Defensive End
6-3, 250
Bamberg, SC
View Full Profile , Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd Kevin Dodd
Defensive Line
6-5, 280
Greer, SC
View Full Profile as solid defensive line commits for the 2012 class.

Carlos Watkins highlight video

Video courtesy of TouringTiger


Name	POS	Ht/Wt	Hometown	ESPN Rank
Javarius Leamon	OL	6-6/295	Woodruff, SC
Travis Blanks	DB	6-1/180	Tallahassee, FL
Patrick DeStefano	OL	6-4/275	Roebuck, SC
Germone Hopper	ATH/WR	6-0/175	Charlotte, NC
Jay Guillermo	OL	6-3/285	Maryville, TN
Carlos Watkins	DL	6-4/285	Forest City, NC
Shaquille Lawson	DE	6-4/240	Central, SC
Chad Kelly	QB	6-3/205	Buffalo, NY
Zac Brooks	ATH	6-2/180	Jonesboro, AR
Cordrea Tankersley	DB	6-2/195	Aiken, SC
Oliver Jones	OL	6-7/320	Ninety Six, SC
T.J. Burrell	LB	6-1/205	Goose Creek, SC
Martin Aiken	DE	6-3/250	Bamberg, SC
Ronnie Geohaghan	S	6-0/185	Fairfax, SC
Bradley Pinion	P/PK	6-6/220	Concord, NC
Marty Williams	ATH/QB	6-1/189	North Augusta, SC
Jay Jay McCullough	RB/TE	6-4/235	Fort Mill, SC
Kevin Dodd	DL	6-5/280	Greer, SC
Isaiah Battle	OL	6-7/260	St. George, VA