Julius Caesar "Trey" Watts III (born February 13, 1991) is a former American football running back. He played college football at the University of Tulsa and was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||
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| Born: | February 13, 1991 Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Oakton (Vienna, Virginia) | ||||||||||
| College: | University of Tulsa | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2014 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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High school
editWatts was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at Oakton High School. Started at running back and played cornerback. Had career statistics of 198 carries for 1,160 yards and 21 touchdowns and also had 48 receptions for 900 yards and 11 touchdowns. Watts helped lead his team to a 13–1 record and Division 6 state semifinal appearance his senior season and was named to the Virginia High School Coaches Association and Associated Press all-state second-team as a running back and kick returner his senior season as well as being named to the Washington Post all-Met honorable mention and first-team all-league squad as a senior. Earned first-team all-district and all-region honors as a running back and kick returner and rushed for 654 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior, while catching 39 passes for 732 yards and 10 touchdowns. Totaled 506 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground as a junior, while catching nine passes for 168 yards and one touchdown.
Recruiting
editComing out of high school, Watts primary selling point was that his father, J.C. Watts, a former member of the United States House of Representatives, was previously a starting quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners.[1] He received no Football Bowl Subdivision scholarship offers, but thanks to a connection from his father, then Tulsa running backs coach (now head coach) Bill Blankenship convinced Watts to walk-on at Tulsa.[2]
College career
edit2011
editAfter redshirting his true freshman season and playing sparingly his redshirt freshman season, Watts came out of spring practice poised to make a contribution to the team.[3] He led the team in all-purpose yards finishing with 1,629 (combined rushing, receiving, and return).[4]
2012
editIn 2012, Watts earned second-team All-Conference USA honors as a return specialist and honorable mention All-Conference USA accolades as a tailback.[2] Watts had a particularly notable performance in the 2012 Liberty Bowl against Iowa State during which he amassed 25 carries for 149 yards.[5] In Tulsa's previous game, the conference championship, Watts recorded a 50-yard punt return for a touchdown.[6] In total, Watts amassed 959 rushing yards on the season which led Conference USA and averaged 29.6 yards per kickoff return which ranked eighth in the country.[1] He rushed for three touchdowns.[7]
2013
editAs a senior in 2013, Watts ran for 1,329 yards with 11 touchdowns.
Professional career
editSt. Louis / Los Angeles Rams
editWatts was signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2014 NFL draft by the St. Louis Rams. On October 12, 2015, Watts was released,[8] but re-signed on October 15. Watts was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy on November 4, 2015.[9] On March 10, 2017, Watts was released from the reserve/suspended list by the Rams.[10]
Personal life
editWatts is the son of J.C. Watts who was previously a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, a quarterback for the Oklahoma Sooners, and is currently a lobbyist.[11] His mother is Frankie Watts.
References
edit- ^ a b Logue, Andrew (December 28, 2012). "Liberty Bowl: Tulsa back Watts knows Capitol better than most". Shreveport Times. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ a b Higgins, Ron (December 28, 2012). "Legend's son Trey Watts builds own legacy at Tulsa". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ Tramel, Jimmie (April 16, 2011). "Watts key ingredient for TU". Tulsa World. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "Trey Watts Profile". Tulsa Official Athletic Site. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 19, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "U.S.C., With Barkley Out, Loses to Georgia Tech". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 31, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ Zunz, Andy (December 2, 2012). "Officials' incompetency steals the show on national stage". Central Florida Future. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "Trey Watts Stats, News, Videos, Pictures, Bio". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ "NFL Transactions | October 2015 All Transactions". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ Wagoner, Nick (November 4, 2015). "Rams RB Trey Watts suspended indefinitely for substance abuse". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ McAtee, Joe (March 10, 2017). "LA Rams Waive RB Tre Mason, RB Trey Watts". TurfShowTimes.com.
- ^ Latzke, Jeff. "Tulsa's Trey Watts making homecoming of sorts". College Football - Rivals.com. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved January 1, 2013.