The state of Tennessee has some highly-rated players in the 2019 recruiting cycle. According to the 247Sports Composite rankings, there are 16 four-star prospects in the state of Tennessee in the 2019 class. The Vols already have one of those four-stars committed to them in this class in offensive lineman Jackson Lampley, and another just included them in his list of top schools.
Four-star athlete Jashon Watkins, who plays for East Nashville Magnet School, posted his top nine schools on Twitter on Thursday. And Tennessee made the cut along with several other SEC schools.
Top 9️⃣
Mississippi State ?
Memphis ?
University Of Oklahoma ⭕
University Of Tennessee ?
UFC
South Carolina ?
University of Louisville ?
Ole Miss ??
University of Arkansas ?(Shorting list soon ) pic.twitter.com/y2erktne4Y— Jashon Watkins2 (@jashonPerkins) May 25, 2018
Watkins is rated as the No. 309 overall player, No. 24 athlete, and No. 12 player in the state of Tennessee according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He has over a dozen scholarship offers, including ones from Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Missouri, Louisville, UCF, and others.
The talented athlete attended a Junior Day event on Tennessee’s campus back on March 3rd, and the Vols were the first school to give him an offer when they extended one to him back in January of 2016.
At 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, Watkins has elite size for either a wide receiver or safety, the two positions he would likely project at in college. Watching his film, I think he’ll likely be a receiver in college, but he does remind me a bit of Jauan Jennings coming out of high school in that he’s just a pure athlete in every sense of the word. He played receiver, quarterback, cornerback, and safety for East Nashville Magnet School, and he particularly excelled as a receiver. He knows how to use his height to high point balls and he’s very tough to bring down. He won’t blaze past anyone with his speed, but he’s not a lumbering target by any means either. He has a high ceiling and is a strong play-maker already.
As a junior, Watkins caught 17 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns and totaled 23 carries for 186 yards and four scores according to MaxPreps. On the defensive side of the ball, Watkins had 14 tackles, two tackles for loss, six passes defended, and a forced fumble. He also averaged 27.6 yards per kickoff return and returned a kick for a touchdown.
Going into his senior season, I expect Watkins will be an even more pivotal part of his team’s offensive gameplan. He has solid skills to work with on defense, and he’ll still play there too. But I think he’ll work more on his offensive game because I believe that’s where his highest ceiling is.
Tennessee is working to add several of the talented players within their borders to their 2019 class. Four-star prospects like wide receiver Lance Wilhoite, cornerack Woodi Washington, receiver Trey Knox, linebacker Kane Patterson, and cornerback Adonis Otey will continue to get attention from the Vols. Expect Watkins to receive plenty of attention as well.
