Caden Watts has been on the rise as one of the go-to defensive backs for the Russellville Golden Tigers during his high school career.
And after a spectacular senior season that saw the Golden Tigers reach the 5A quarterfinals, Watts is now seeing a return on his hard work and efforts as he recently committed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a preferred walk-on for the Blazers.
For Watts, the day has finally arrived for his lifelong dream to come true is here, and it couldn’t have come at a moment too soon.
“This is really what I’ve always wanted. Knowing that all of the people around me support me and it’s just a dream come true,” Watts said. “Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to play college football and just for this day to be here is just so special to me. Words can’t really describe what I’m feeling.”
Of course with the COVID-19 pandemic playing a huge role in the recruitment process for Watts and thousands of other 2021 graduates, the opportunities to play at the next level are certainly harder to come by now more than ever.
So for Watts to get the nod as a preferred walk-on in a pandemic-stricken recruitment class, just speaks to his talent and what UAB believes he can become.
“COVID really messed up the 2021 class and the seniors get to come back for another season so the money isn’t really there for a lot of schools to give out more scholarships. So being a preferred walk-on means that they want me there and they’re excited to have me there and I’m excited to get started,” Watts said.
Golden Tiger Football Head Coach John Ritter has watched Caden Watts develop over the past four seasons and has had a front row seat to Watts’ development into what he has become today. And so the fact that his senior defensive back is heading to a division one school speaks volumes to his development over the years.
“What Caden is doing today is a big deal. Not everyone can walk-on for division one football. If you want to play at UAB, Alabama or another division one school, they have open tryouts but most times those guys get cut. So there may be one out of 100 that gets to stay,” Ritter said. “So being a preferred walk-on is basically UAB inviting him in to be a part of their program. He’ll have every opportunity to earn his way onto the field and I’m confident he’s going to do that.”
Heading into his senior season, while Watts was one of the premier defensive backs in Northwest Alabama, there was still room for improvement as with any high school athlete.
And according to Watts, that improvement was more on the mental side of things than anything else.
“I really felt like I did a much better job being more aggressive and flying to the ball. Just having fun and letting loose really helped as well,” Watts said. “The past couple of years I really tried to play too smart and this year I decided to just let it loose and have fun in my final year. Coaches have always told us to play reckless and that’s what I did this year.”
Of course Watts finished his time as a Golden Tiger in the same city where he’ll be calling home the next four years as Russellville fell to Ramsay in the quarterfinals played at Legion Field in Birmingham.
Having his final campaign as a Golden Tiger finish the way it did was the icing on the cake for Watts.
“It was a struggle with COVID and every team struggled with it. But we really did a great job keeping up with protocols and making sure that we did what we needed to do to be able to go out every Friday night and compete,” Watts said. “We went as far as we possibly could and it was extraordinary. Playing at Legion Field against a really good team was just an experience of a lifetime and I’m just happy everything turned out for the best.”
