National Signing Day Profile: Maraad Watson

A look at Syracuse football's defensive tackle signee.

Mike McAllister | Dec 20, 2023

National Signing Day Profile: Maraad Watson /

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Syracuse Orange

Player: Maraad Watson

Position: Defensive Tackle

Height/Weight: 6-3, 285 lbs

School: Irvington (NJ)

Other Notable Offers: Nebraska, Rutgers, Tennessee

247Sports Rating: 3-star #91 DL

ESPN Rating: NR

On3 Rating: NR

Rivals Rating: 3-star

Recruitment Recap: Watson was a late arrival to the power five scene. After committing to Kent State, power programs started to get involved this month, with offers from Nebraska, Rutgers, Syracuse and Tennessee all being extended. He cancelled his official visit to Rutgers in favor of visiting Syracuse the weekend of December 8th. The Volunteers then offered and he flipped his visit for the 15th from Nebraska to Tennessee. After that visit, he evaluated all of his options and elected to sign with the Orange over the Vols. He joins his high school teammate Jahide Lesaine at Syracuse.

Evaluation: As a senior, he recorded 72 tackles and 15 sacks according to NJ.com. An interior defensive lineman putting up those numbers shows the impact he can have on a game. A disrupter in the middle of the line, Watson is extremely strong, plays with excellent leverage and is more athletic than you think given his size. Watson has some technique to refine, but has all the potential in the world to become the center piece of a dynamic, disruptive defensive line.

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Published Dec 20, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.