Derek Watt

[celticdb15]

Derek is the younger brother of emerging star DE for the UW Badgers, J.J. Watt. The younger Watt is 6'2 210 and is a runningback\linebacker for his high school team. Considering his brothers height he may still have plenty of room to grow. He has been offered by Northern Illinois and Western Michigan so far(Im guessing as a LB).

Another scholarship offer has been made to a member of the state's class of 2011 bringing the number of known Division I-FBS offers to 22 and the number of offers overall to 27.

The latest prospect to add to the list - Pewaukee running back/linebacker Derek Watt (6-2, 210).

"My family and I went down to Northern Illinois for a practice Saturday and Coach (Jerry) Kill gave me a scholarship offer,"Â￾ Watt told WSN in a short message. "I really enjoyed the coaching staff there and the Yordon Center is great."Â￾

His second scholarship offer to date, Watt had previously garnered one from Western Michigan University.

In addition to the scholarship offers from NIU and WMU, Watt has drawn recruiting interest from Wisconsin, Northwestern, Indiana, Central Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Southern Illinois and North Dakota State.

The younger brother of current University of Wisconsin defensive end J.J. Watt, Derek Watt was named Lake Country Publications first-team all-area and first-team all-conference at running back as a junior. He also garnered Waukesha Freeman honorable-mention all-Waukesha County and first-team all-conference laurels at linebacker in 2009. He received honorable-mention all-conference accolades at running back as a sophomore.

Watt recently scored a SPARQ Rating of 101.1 at the Nike Combine in Chicago. There he recorded a 4.74-second laser-timed 40-yard dash, 4.25-second shuttle, 29.4-inch vertical jump and 40-foot kneeling powerball toss. He was named an all-combine performer at linebacker for his efforts.

Courtesy of www.Wissports.netEdited by: celticdb15

 

[celticdb15]

Illinois State and Miami(OH) have recently offered. We'll see how many this kid can get!

 

[celticdb15]

He originally committed to Northwestern, but after a late Wisconsin offer he's going to be a Badger!

 

[celticdb15]

Derek Watt and Tyler Leonhard have yet to hold The Conversation.
You know the one. About what it’s like to follow in the incredibly huge footsteps of a legendary brother for the University of Wisconsin football team.

“Me and Tyler actually haven’t talked a lot about that,â€￾ Watt said in a recent interview. “We don’t even want to bring it up. If people bring it up to us, we’ll kind of shy away. We don’t bring it up with each other.â€￾
Watt (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) is a scholarship linebacker and the younger brother of former All-American defensive end J.J. Watt. Leonhard (6-0, 158) is a walk-on defensive back and the younger brother of former All-American safety Jim Leonhard.
Derek Watt and Tyler Leonhard got spots in this year’s incoming freshman class on their own credentials, not on their bloodlines. Watt was the Associated Press’ state player of the year as a senior at Pewaukee, where he rarely left the field as a running back and linebacker.

During his prep career, Watt rushed for 2,685 yards and 44 touchdowns. He had 625 receiving yards and another five touchdowns on receptions. He forced five fumbles and intercepted three passes. He recorded 140 tackles, with 27 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He also returned a kick and punt for touchdowns.
His versatility was on display Saturday for the South team in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Divisions 1-3 All-Star game in Oshkosh, when he played linebacker, had one carry as a running back and also was involved on special teams.
He intercepted three passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and was the dominant player in the South’s 30-0 victory.

“I played both ways in high school and every special team and I feel more tired now than I ever was (then),â€￾ Watt said after the game. “Not used to the heat, getting back into it. It was all fun. I loved it.â€￾
Watt patiently dealt with questions about following his older brother in interviews before and after the game. Some of the opposing players even brought it up to him during the game.
“It’s not a problem,â€￾ Watt said of those questions. “It happens all the time, so I’m not worried in any way. It’s an honor to be J.J. Watt’s little brother. But I also want to be Derek Watt, known for Derek Watt, not J.J.’s little brother.â€￾

One thing that bugs him is getting introduced as J.J. Watt’s little
brother. “That’s a little irritating,â€￾ he said.
J.J. Watt told uwbadgers.com he’s in a tough spot when it comes to giving his younger brother advice, “because I want to tell him everything and I also want to tell him nothing. College is one of those places where you have to learn on your own.â€￾

“That’s part of the growing-up experience,â€￾ J.J. Watt continued. “But the biggest piece of advice I’ve always given him is, ‘Keep your mouth shut and work hard.’

“For anyone coming in as a freshman to a college program, if you follow that simple rule, you’re going to earn the respect of your teammates. Nobody likes a ****y freshman. Nobody likes somebody who’s going to come in thinking that they are the best. Stay humble, stay quiet and work your tail off. Earn the respect of the older guys.â€￾
That meshes with Derek Watt’s response when asked about the best advice his older brother gave him.
“I’m just going in, trying to be my own person, not be like J.J.,â€￾ he said. “He just gave me advice to, ’Work your butt off and keep your mouth shut. You’ll see good things.’ â€￾

Tyler Leonhard comes in with lower expectations as a walk-on — just as his brother did a decade ago. In his career at Flambeau High School, Tyler Leonhard scored 74 touchdowns and had 5,500 all-purpose yards, with eight interceptions.

Derek Watt took an important first step in distinguishing himself with his performance in the all-star game. One thing that helps is being a different athlete than both of his brothers, including T.J., a junior at Pewaukee who is built more like J.J.

“As a linebacker, you have to love to hit,â€￾ Derek Watt said of his strengths. “You have to run into a brick wall. I’d like to think I have a little bit of speed as well. My older brother, J.J,, and my younger brother, too, they’re both going to have 6-6 frames, they’re a lot bigger than me. But I feel like I got the speed in the family.â€￾
Yet Derek Watt embraces the similarities, too. He’s not afraid to borrow his older brother’s famous motto.

“His motto is, ‘Dream Big, Work Hard,’â€￾ Derek Watt said. “It’s a big thing in our lives. It’s how you should live your life and it works out well for us.â€￾



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