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There are two #7’s on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football roster. Both of them happen to be pretty important people going into next season. Our player profile already covered the first #7 in Brandon Wimbush. The second happens to be senior cornerback Nick Watkins. Nick is 6’1 203 lbs. and from DeSoto, Texas.
Nick Watkins is entering his senior year with much left to prove. His freshman and sophomore seasons in South Bend were mostly spent on special teams. His only career start came in the Battlefrog Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. This past season as a junior was spent on the sideline with an arm injury. The injury kept him out of the entire season.
Three Things To Know About Nick Watkins:
- He entered Notre Dame as a top recruit, ranked in the top 205 an all major recruiting sites
- His father Bobby Sr. was a 2nd round NFL draft pick to the Detroit Lions
- He is a prime candidate to take a 5th year option as his junior year was wiped out by injury
(Not any worth while film on a player who has only played on special teams and been injured, so here is his high school tape.)
I Dub Thee...
Nearly Headless Nick.
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2017 Forecast
To this point, Nick Watkins has not made a significant impact on the Notre Dame football team. This will change in 2017. He is penciled in to be a starting cornerback this year. And everything we are hearing from spring ball, Nick Watkins is back from his arm injury and looking the part of a solid defensive back. Even though we have not seen a lot from him, I would expect Nick Watkins to be the number 1 corner this upcoming season. He will be the leader of the group now that Cole Luke is gone. Watkins will look to mentor a strong sophomore class of Julian Love, Donte Vaughn, and Troy Pride Jr. Look for 2017 to be the Nick Watkins coming out party!