May 12, 2022
Jett Watson will be one of five—the others being Sheldon Kinzer, Ladell Allen, Angelo Arnold, and Jaydon Griffith—ETHS seniors playing football at Roosevelt University in the fall.
“When I first started off playing, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t do very much my freshman year, my first year playing football, and then as I progressed throughout my four years, I realized it was something that I really wanted to do. I found a deep love for the sport, and I made a family,” describes Watson. “I wanted to keep that family. And so I dreamt about playing in college.”
Interestingly, Watson came into ETHS having played soccer in middle school. Upon making the transition to football, his soccer coach suggested that he try out being a wide receiver because of his speed. In the end, the position stuck, and it is what Watson will be playing when he embarks at Roosevelt.
As a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as opposed to the NCAA, Watson will have more of an opportunity to compete on a national level during his time at Roosevelt. That being said, what division, organization or conference Watson would be a part of had little effect on his college decision, so long as he was playing football.
“I heard about anyone DI, DII, DIII—it didn’t really matter to me…I just wanted to play football. I love the sport so much. And once my final senior year ended, it kind of left a hole in my heart. I really love this sport, and I had a fear that I wouldn’t be able to play in college. But I put in the work, talked to a few people, made a few connections, and now I’m going to be able to play.”
While it may be true that the family he had on the football team was the strongest community he found while at Evanston, Watson will miss ETHS.
“I am going to miss this place,” Watson affirms. “Really, at ETHS, everybody’s a community. Everybody’s really a family…When you go off to college, you’re more separated—you’re in your own dorm to do your own work, and you’re more focused on getting your stuff done because overall college is a harder [experience].”
Though he will be going in undecided, Watson has thought about becoming an athletic trainer after college. Nevertheless, he plans on exploring his options during his time as a student.
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