Desmond Watson Places Florida Top 2, Sets Commitment Timetable

Florida is still in the hunt for plenty of defensive linemen and the Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) product, Desmond Watson has set a commitment timeline.

Keeping up with the recruiting news, the Florida Gators have found themselves in the hunt for another defensive lineman, this time Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) product, defensive tackle Desmond Watson.

Watson originally placed the Gators in his top three back in May of this year and has officially trimmed down his list even further, leaving Florida and Texas A&M as the lone pair in the hunt for his preferred landing spots. Watson has also set a timetable for his commitment, with his final decision coming sometime this August.

In his original top three, Watson included SEC-rival LSU and has been on the Gators' recruiting board for quite some time. Watson originally was offered a scholarship to the University of Florida in January of 2019, shortly following the first year of the Dan Mullen era.

Since being offered, Watson has visited the Gators at least two other times on Junior-day visits in February and March of this year before the coronavirus pandemic shutdown in-person recruiting and visits across the nation. Without the ability to visit any other programs since Florida, there's no question Florida has been on his mind.

Watson, 6-foot-5, 350 pounds packs a punch in the middle of the defensive line, able to anchor as a true nose tackle, something the Gators will be in need of in a short time. With his high school teammate, wide receiver Charles Montgomery already in toe, it wouldn't be shocking to see Watson follow suit when he is ready to commit in August.

The SI All-American team recently profiled Watson, a candidate, and one of many Gators '21 targets on the watch list. Here is a short snippet from what the team over at Sports Illustrated All-American included on Watson:

If Watson can get down to 315 pounds you’re going to have a three-year starter and impact player on the power-5 level. He’s so strong that it’s almost unfair on the high school level. Until then, he’s an elite two down run stopper and offensive line occupier.

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