New Jersey Athlete Bryce Watts commits to Virginia Tech

Well, the good news keeps rolling in. It was not unexpected- Watts decommitted from Rutgers a short time ago, and the predictions since have rolled in HARD for the Hokies- but Virginia Tech added another player this weekend in Bryce Watts, a three star athlete from Toms River, New Jersey. It’s definitely not unprecedented for the Hokies to dip into the Garden State for talent- last year, Tyree Rogers was a late flip from Jersey, and Tyrell Smith, Billy Ray Mitchell and Yosuah Nijman are all from New Jersey as well. But Watts adds depth to the class, especially as he’s supposed to be imported as a cornerback. Currently listed as an athlete, Watts is rated as a two star by 247, but three by Rivals, Scout, and ESPN. Scout is the only one that has him at cornerback, though, everyone else rates him as an athlete. He is the 24^th commitment to the class, the first dedicated cornerback, and the likely eighth addition do the defense. His main recruiter was Brian Mitchell.

Let’s see what he has to offer, shall we?

Bryce Watts (Toms River, NJ. 6’-0”, 165lbs. Athlete/Cornerback)

Watts is a good hitter for his weight, but he’s going to have to bulk up for this level of competition. As a developmental athlete, he has to tools to be made into a decent corner- his change of direction is pretty snappy and he’s rather shifty, on top of some nice speed. Obviously he’s going to need time since he was a two-sides-of-the-ball player, but that’s not uncommon coming out of high school. He does a good job of keeping his eyes on the ball both in the air and in coverage, but the margins are going to be smaller in college and he needs defensive depth and coverage tightness work. He’s pretty shifty and slippery, of course, so it’ll be interesting to see if the initial reports are right and he’s at cornerback- but we’ve got plenty of wideouts in this class and need corner depth.

Welcome to the #Statement17, Bryce, and go Hokies!