Pac 10-SEC battle brewing
Oregon State, Washington and Washington State are hardly schools that go head-to-head against Kentucky for prospects unless it's for junior college prospects in California.
But if things continue to develop the way they are, the Pac 10 schools might have to lock horns with the SEC school in the battle to land Burien (Wash.) Highline cornerback/safety Anthony Watkins.
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Watkins, who is 6-foot-1 and 183 pounds, has early scholarship offers from Oregon State and Kentucky. He is also getting serious attention from other local schools like Washington and Washington State
"The main schools right now are Washington State, Washington, Kentucky and Oregon State," he said. "Those are the main schools I get letters from. Kentucky and Oregon State are the two schools that have given me an offer.
"Those are the two I like right now."
Kentucky hardly recruits Washington, so there must be an in with the Southeastern state, right?
"My dad lives in Kentucky, so I have some family there," Watkins, who has a 4.65-second time in the 40-yard dash, said. "I go there every summer, so I know the area pretty good. Oregon State just sounds like a good, solid football program.
"Washington has said they're real interested in me and I'm guessing they might offer me pretty soon, before the summer is over. I just started getting mail from Washington State so I'm not sure how serious they are."
So what's Watkins' plan for a decision?
"Mostly I plan to sit down with my family to talk and see what will be most convenient for me," he said. "I want to go to a place I won't get homesick and my family could see me play. Kentucky is like my second home, so I wouldn't mind going there, either.
"I want to take all my visits, because I don't want to make a bad decision. I want to take as many as I can and probably make a decision after my senior year."
Watkins hopes he can improve on his stats from 2005 and stay healthy, too.
"I played six games last year because I broke my thumb right before the first game," he said. "In the six games I played I had 1,200 total yards at quarterback and 12 touchdowns, and on defense I had two picks. I'm working hard this summer so I can have a real good senior season and open some eyes."