The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
2023 Football Roster
Roster
Ryan Watts
- Position:
- DB
- Height:
- 6-3
- Hometown:
- Little Elm, Texas
- Weight:
- 206
- Class:
- Senior
- High School:
- Little Elm
- Previous School:
- Ohio State
- Major:
- Communication and Leadership
A two-year defensive back who played in and started 24 games with 23 starts … a 2022 honorable mention All-Big 12 selection by the league’s coaches … earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Defensive Newcomer Player of the Year honors …transferred from Ohio State and enrolled at UT in January 2022 ... named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in 2022 ... member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (spring 2022).
SENIOR (2023)
Played in 11 games with 10 starts … recorded 38 tackles (30 solo), one tackle for loss and three passes defended … had a tackle in the season-opening victory over Rice … recorded four tackles (two solo), one tackle for loss and one pass breakup in the victory at No. 3 Alabama … registered six solo tackles against Wyoming, four solo tackles at Baylor and two solo tackles versus Kansas … missed games against Oklahoma and Houston due to injury … returned to play BYU and had one pass breakup … made eight tackles (seven solo) and had one pass breakup against Kansas State … had four tackles (two solo) at TCU … tallied two solo tackles at Iowa State … registered a tackle against Texas Tech before leaving the game following the first play due injury … missed the Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma State … made six tackles (five solo) in the Sugar Bowl against Washington … named to the Reese's Senior Bowl preseason watch list ... selected third-team Preseason All-Big 12 by Phil Steele ... named Preseason All-Big 12 Fourth Team by Athlon Sports.
JUNIOR (2022)
Named honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league’s coaches … also earned honorable mention All-Big 12 Defensive Newcomer Player of the Year … played in and started 13 games … has totaled 51 tackles (33 solo), four tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one quarterback hurry and three pass breakups ... made two tackles (one solo) with one tackle for loss in his Longhorn debut against ULM … had five tackles (three solo) versus Alabama … posted two tackles (one solo) against UTSA … recorded five tackles (three solo) and two pass breakups at Texas Tech … established career highs with seven tackles and five solo tackles in a win over West Virginia … made one solo tackle in a shutout victory against Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown … equaled his career bests with seven tackles and five solo tackles against Iowa State … had two tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone at Oklahoma State … tallied six tackles (five solo) with one tackle for loss at Kansas State … made six tackles (five solo) with a career high two tackles for loss and his first career sack against TCU … recorded two solo tackles at Kansas … registered four tackles (two solo) and one quarterback hurry versus Baylor ... had two tackles against Washington in the Alamo Bowl.
BEFORE TEXAS
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.
HIGH SCHOOL
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.
