The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
12.23.2021 | Football
A transfer from Ohio State and former Texas all-state honoree from Little Elm, cornerback Ryan Watts becomes the 28th member of the Longhorns’ 2022 class.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football has added cornerback Ryan Watts, a transfer from Ohio State and former Texas all-state honoree from Little Elm, as the 28th member of its 2022 class of newcomers.
Watts will enroll in Texas in January and be listed as a junior for the 2022 season with the potential of three years of eligibility remaining that includes the NCAA's allowance for an additional year due to COVID.
Watts played in 19 games over two seasons with the Buckeyes after joining the team as a January enrollee in 2020. A 2021 Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a pre-communications major, he played in all 12 regular season games with one start this year and tied for the team lead with two interceptions after playing in seven games as a true freshman in 2020.
A two-way player at Little Elm High School in Texas, Watts was named second-team 5A All-State by the Associated Press and honorable mention by the Texas Sports Writers Association as a defensive back in 2019, along with earning first-team All-District 5-5A Division 1 honors as both a wide receiver and a cornerback.
Welcome to the family Ryan Watts! 🤘(@TheRyanWatts) pic.twitter.com/L0OXEQmZEO
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 23, 2021
Ryan Watts
Cornerback
6-3 • 205 • Jr.-TR
Little Elm, Texas (Ohio State/Little Elm)
HS Coach: Kendrick Brown
A transfer from Ohio State who played in 19 games over two seasons with the Buckeyes after joining the team as a January enrollee in 2020 … a 2021 Academic All-Big Ten honoree as a pre-communications major … played in all 12 regular season games, starting the season-opener against Minnesota in 2021 … tied for the team lead with two interceptions, which he recorded in back-to-back games against Rutgers and Maryland, to go along with six tackles, including five solo stops … helped Ohio State to a 10-2 regular season record … named an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete in 2020 … played in seven games as a true freshman and recorded four tackles in 2020 … helped Ohio State to a 7-1 record, including a Big Ten Championship, a Sugar Bowl Championship and an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game … was the No. 21 recruit in the SportsDay HS Class of 2020 rankings … a two-way player at Little Elm High School who was an all-state and two-time all-district honoree … ranked No. 150 nationally, No. 10 among safeties and No. 23 overall in Texas by 247Sports … rated No. 235 nationally, No. 17 among cornerbacks and No. 40 overall in the state of Texas by ESPN … ranked No. 28 nationally among cornerbacks and No. 39 overall in the state of Texas by Rivals … saw time at a cornerback, safety and wide receiver as a senior … named second-team 5A All-State by the Associated Press and honorable mention by the Texas Sports Writers Association as a defensive back in 2019 … tabbed to the 2019 Texas All-State Football Team Second Team by MaxPreps … chosen first-team All-District 5-5A Division 1 as both a wide receiver and a cornerback … selected Little Elm overall team and defensive MVP … recorded 51 tackles with seven pass break-ups, two interceptions and one forced fumble, while catching 24 passes for 456 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior … registered nine tackles, including two for loss, and broke up two passes, while pulling in six passes for 110 yards with two touchdowns against Frisco Independence … participated in the 2019 The Opening … tabbed second-team All-District 5-5A Division 1 in 2018 … helped Little Elm to a 7-3 overall record, including a 4-3 district mark in 2017.
