2025 Athlon Sports Preseason All-Conference Third Team
Transferred from Robert Morris (an NAIA program) in the Spring of 2023 with two years of eligibility remaining at USF...appeared in 18 games for Robert Morris, logging 91 tackles, 22.5 TFL, and 11.5 sacks in his career there...played in 27 games for the Bulls, logging 86 tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss in Green and Gold.
2025: Saw action in all 13 games...posted a career-best 49 tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss, including 3.0 sacks...added a forced fumble, an interception, a pass break-up and five quarterback hurries...had five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in a season-opening win over No. 25 Boise State (8/28)...posted four tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in a win at No. 13 Florida (9/6)...had six tackles at No. 5 Miami (9/13)...made four stops at North Texas (10/10)...had four tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss and an interception he returned 21 yards vs. FAU (10/18)...made five stops, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack at Memphis (10/25)...posted four tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss at UAB (11/22)...had four tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss vs. Rice (11/29)...had a season-high seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the Cure Bowl vs. Old Dominion (12/17).
2024: Saw action in all 13 games, taking over as a starter full-time in the Tulane game and making nine starts on the year…posted 37 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks on the season....his sacks came in three games: 0.5 vs. B-CU (8/31), 1.0 vs. UAB, and 1.0 at Florida Atlantic…posted six tackles in the season-opener vs. Bethune-Cookman (8/31)...has six stops and a sack vs. UAB (10/19)...recorded two tackles, a sack and a forced fumble at Florida Atlantic (11/1)...had a season-high seven stops and 0.5 tackles for loss vs. Navy (11/9)...posted five tackles in the Hawai'i Bowl victory over San Jose State (12/24).
2023: Tallied first tackle for USF in home opener vs. FAMU (9/9).
2022 (ROBERT MORRIS): Posted 42 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble playing in 11 games…had a season-high eight tackles and a sack vs. Bryant (11/19)…posted seven tackles and a tackle for loss at Murray State (11/12)…had six tackles and three tackles for loss at Charleston Southern (11/5)…had six tackles and a TFL at Delaware State (10/1).
2021 (ROBERT MORRIS): Played in 10 games and posted 36 tackles and a team-high 11 tackles for loss (-42 yards) and 7.5 sacks…also collected an interception, a forced fumble and two quarterback hurries…had a season-high eight tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks at Monmouth (11/13)…logged seven tackles, 2.5 TFL and two sacks at Gardner-Webb (10/23)…posted a sack in five games and a TFL in six.
2021 SPRING (ROBERT MORRIS): Season moved from the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19…saw action in all three games and posted 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack in the shortened spring season…season-high five tackles, 1.5 TFL and a sack at Charleston Southern (4/10).
2019 (FLORIDA STATE): Did not see action...redshirt season.
ARMWOOD HS: Made 211 tackles, 16.0 sacks and four interceptions in 54 games played at Armwood High School…helped Hawks to 13-2 record and appearance in FHSAA 7A state semifinals in 2018…contributed 46 tackles, 6.0 sacks, 18.0 tackles for loss and 13 hurries…added one interception and two pass breakups…as a junior, tallied 79 tackles, 9.0 sacks and 33.0 tackles for loss…added four passes defended, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble while helping Hawks to 14-1 record…registered 54 tackles, 1.0 sack and 10.0 tackles for loss as a sophomore…totaled 32 tackles his freshman season.
PERSONAL: Named to the Athletics Honor Roll in the Spring of 2024 and 2025 and fall of 2025...earned his USF bachelor's degree.
WATSON III’s CAREER HIGHS:
Tackles 7, (2X), last vs. Old Dominion (12/17/25)
TFL 2.0, vs. Bethune-Cookman (8/31/24)
Sacks 1.0, (4X) last vs. Old Dominion (12/17/25)
INT 1, 2X, last vs. FAU (10/18/25)
FF 1, (4X), last vs. Old Dominion (12/17/25)
WATSON III’S GAME-BY-GAME:
2024 Tackles (Total-Solo-Assists)
B-CU (6-1-5); Alabama (1-1-0); Southern Miss (1-1-0); Miami (FL) (2-2-0); Tulane (0-0-0); Memphis (3-0-3); UAB (6-3-3); Florida Atlantic (2-2-0); Navy (7-3-4); Charlotte (3-1-2); Tulsa (1-0-1); Rice (0-0-0); San Jose State (5-4-1)
