Watkins is a former 4* recruit from DeSoto. Spent his first two years at Notre Dame as a special teams/backup CB before missing his junior season due to injury. Last year, he started all 12 games and had 22 tackles, 7 assists, 8 pass breakups, and 1 interception.
Although West Virginia is the first school to get an official visit from Watkins, he has his eye on a few more schools as well. Nick is a native Texan, and besides the Mountaineers, his list consists of Texas schools.
The SMU Mustangs, Houston Cougars, and TCU Horned Frog are all programs on his list, and they could receive a visit soon.
He wants to make a decision by June 1, so he still has a couple of weeks to make a decision.
Watkins arrives in Houston after three seasons of action at Notre Dame where he saw action in 35 games with 10 starts, nine of which came in 2017. He finished the 2017 season with 29 tackles, eight pass breakups and one interception after missing 2016 with a broken arm suffered during spring practice.
He played in 12 games as a sophomore in 2015, making his first career start vs. Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, where he finished with three tackles and one pass breakup. Watkins played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2014, predominantly on the Fighting Irish special teams.
Prior to Notre Dame, Watkins was ranked the No. 123 player nationally by ESPN. The DeSoto, Texas, native was named to the USA Today American Family Insurance All-USA Texas team in 2013 and was also a First-Team Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Division I All-State pick in 2013. The TAPPS District I Division I Defensive MVP at Bishop Dunne High School, Watkins was ranked the No. 8 player in the Dallas Morning News Top 100 and was selected to play in the Under Armour All-American Game in St. Petersburg, Fla.