Watson Making Early Impact for USF

Freshman Elkino Watson is making an early impact in his freshman season.

The Bulls have played several freshman in the first two games of the season. While they have not all made huge impacts so far, they continue to get their chances to get on the field and see some playing time. But one freshman continues to shine and get a lot of well deserved attention, defensive tackle Elkino Watson.

Watson, the 4-star recruit that surprised many when he signed with USF, has emerged as a real force in the center of the defensive line.

The 6-2 288-pound pass rusher impressed the coaches during the fall and made great strides, landing on the two-deep depth chart heading into the Notre Dame game. He played well, making a few tackles and giving the Bulls a big body in the center of the line.

With McCaskill limited with a knee injury, the Bulls have needed a big player to step up and the freshman has answered the call so far.

Last Saturday against Ball State, Watson had 7 tackles (3 solo tackles) including 3 tackles for loss. He is able to hold up the running game and has the power and speed to beat blocks and get into the backfield to blow up plays and cause nightmares for the opposing quarterbacks.

Now it has only been two games and the nice numbers he had last week were against Ball State, not the most elite offensive line in the world, but it is a very encouraging sign in a position the Bulls have been considered thin and not as explosive as they were last season.

I look for Watson to continue to grow is his role on the defense line, contributing more and causing a lot more trouble for anyone in his way.