Tiger Tuesday celebrates Clemson athletes from recent years. Today it looks at one of the finest Clemson Football linebackers from the mid-2000s.
Nick Watkins – Linebacker, 2003-07
- 386 tackles (7th all-time)
- 22 tackles for a loss
- 3 sacks
- 4 interceptions
- 6 forced fumbles
- 3 recovered fumbles
Nick Watkins grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended Edna Karr High School, where he was a three-year starter and team captain. He was a 3-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite, ranked well outside the top 1,000 high school players. He proved his worth after arriving in Clemson to play for head coach Tommy Bowden. Watkins redshirted in 2003, but his play-making ability caught the staff’s attention.
Watkins had to cope with a lot of adversity during his Clemson career. His older brother passed suddenly as Nick was preparing for a game against Florida State in 2004. His brother was the reason he started playing football when he was five years old. He was heartbroken but knew his brother would want him to play, so he took the field.
"“Football was my dream and his, so in a way I’m playing for both of us.”"
He didn’t start as a redshirt freshman but led the defense in tackles by non-starters.
Things didn’t get any easier for Watkins off the field. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. Like many others impacted by the tragedy, Watkin’s family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. Watkins was in contact with them daily in 2005.
"“We’ve (my family) been through so much together, but it has made us closer,”"
Adversity didn’t slow him down on the field.
32 days
— Austin Pendergist (@apthirteen) August 12, 2020
We survived another 24 hours without ACC football getting cancelled, so let's take a look at the best #32 in Clemson history, Nick Watkins (2004-07):
-#7 career tackles
-48 GP, 36 GS
-386 tackles, 22 TFL, 3 sacks, 4 INT, 6 FF, 3 RF
-Team tackle leader 2006, 2007 pic.twitter.com/4UkdtbgFq8
Adversity didn’t keep Nick Watkins from being a major contributor to Clemson Football
Despite the challenges, Watkins was a monster for the Clemson defense. In four seasons, he accumulated 386 tackles, which makes him 7th all-time in tackles for the Tigers.
Watkins’s college success did not lead to an NFL career, as he was undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft. He did, however, return to Clemson and earned a degree, graduating in 2013.
Congrats to former Tiger linebackers Keith Adams and Nick Watkins - both graduate from Clemson today!
— CUTigers.com (@CUTigers_com) August 9, 2013