Rivals250 OL Hardy Watts Commits to Wisconsin: 'It's the development piece'
Class of 2025 four-star offensive lineman Hardy Watts had a difficult decision to make. After receiving around 30 scholarship offers throughout his recruitment, Watts released a top-three of Wisconsin, Clemson and Michigan on June 15. Ultimately, it was the Badgers who won out, as Watts announced his commitment to Wisconsin on Monday.
Watts, who currently attends Dexter Southfield School in Brookline, Massachusetts, said it came down to development, his relationship with the coaches and where he thought he fit best.
"It the development piece for my position, just how the team kind of revolves around offensive linemen," Watts told Rivals about his decision to pledge to the Badgers. "The guys in the room, especially the guys in the O-line room, as well as the coaching and the relationships I've built with the coaching staff and support staff there."
Watts ranks in the Rivals250 as the No. 178 overall prospect in the 2025 class. He also is the top-ranked player in the state of Massachusetts and the No. 6 offensive guard in the cycle.
He took his official visit to Wisconsin during the weekend of June 7. His favorite part of that trip was just getting to spend time around the Badgers' locker room and being able to get to know the players and coaches better. Watts also took official visits to Clemson from June 2 through June 4 and Michigan from June 21 through June 23.
He was coveted by many programs, and this was not a decision he took lightly. He has the utmost respect for Clemson and Michigan as well, and all of the programs that recruited him, but Watts felt that he belonged in Madison with the Badgers.
"I don't have anything at all against Michigan or Clemson, they're both amazing schools with amazing staffs," Watts explained. "It really came down to my gut feeling and where I felt like I fit the best, and that was Wisconsin. But I have no animosity or bad blood or anything about any of the other programs. In fact, it was the hardest decision of my life and the most difficult conversations to have to tell them no. But I have nothing but good things to say about Michigan and Clemson. There's really nothing that stood out differently, aside from I fit at Wisconsin, in my opinion."
Watts built strong bonds with head coach Luke Fickell ("Coach Fick"), offensive line coach AJ Blazek ("Coach Blaz"), director of football strength and conditioning Brady Collins and many others on staff. He's also made connections with many of the current players on Wisconsin's roster.
"I'm probably closest with Coach Blaz, but I'm very, very close with Coach Fick as well," Watts noted. "And the entire strength staff there is nothing but amicable and friendly and wanting to reach out and help out. I've just built great relationships through that as well."
Watts will primarily play guard for the Badgers, but with a versatile skill set at 6-foot-6 and 305 pounds heading into his senior of high school, he noted that he could play tackle at the college level if needed as well.
On the field, Watts plays with violence when the pads are on and is technically-sound in both pass protection and run blocking. He punishes opponents and often drives defenders out of the play to open up gaps for ball carriers. Watts also prides himself on being a good teammate and being selfless.
"Mean, technical — I think I really good technique — and well-rounded," Watts said when asked to describe his game. "I'm not just a run specialist or a pass-block specialist, I can do both. I think that appeals to coaches. I'm just a team player, a locker-room guy, someone who's gonna put the team in front of himself."
Casey Day, the head coach at Dexter Southfield School, has watched Watts develop over the years. Watts has added a ton of weight and muscle to his frame, and has fine-tuned his technique.
"He came in as a probably like a 6-foot, 170-pound freshman, and he's walking out as one of the top offensive linemen in the country at 6-foot-6, 300-plus-pounds," Day said about Watts. "Sure, growth spurts are nice and all that stuff, but Hardy is consistently putting in hard work in the weight room and nutrition wise, making the right choices and doing all the right things."
Day, offensive line coach Dan DiNicola (who played on the offensive line at Massachusetts in his college career) and the Dexter Southfield program have established a strong reputation for development and placing offensive lineman at Division I schools, with eight such players currently playing at the college level or planning to do so next year. Day believes Watts will be the next player from his program to make an impact in the college ranks.
"There are a lot of kids around the country that probably can say they're as big (or bigger), but what I think separates Hardy is he's got elite athleticism," Day continued about Watts. "I think his past protection is probably one of the tops in the country. I think the real thing that stands out to me, and I know that stood out to the college coaches that recruited him, you throw on his film and you can see he plays to the edge on every play and takes pride in run blocking and pass blocking and trying to finish with his defender on the ground. He's got a lot of positive traits, but I think those are the two things that I would point out that would separate him from the pack."
Day also praised Watts' ability as a leader and his presence in the locker room, especially after Dexter Southfield lost several seniors from its 2023 team.
"We had a real senior-laden team this past season," Day explained. "We had eight kids moving on to play college football, five Division I kids. And I think when those guys walked out the door in the locker room, so to speak, when the season ended last year, Hardy was definitely one of the guys who stepped in to fill that leadership with some of the other captains and other seniors (for the 2024 season).
"But leadership is definitely right in Hardy's wheelhouse. He's a charismatic kid and a very social kid. He's definitely not only going to lead by example, lead with just his actions, he's a guy that's going to lead with both his actions and he's going to speak his mind when he feels like he needs to do that."
Day had a previously established relationship with Blazek during the offensive line coach's time at Vanderbilt, and believes Watts will be "in fantastic hands" under Blazek's tutelage.
As mentioned, Dexter Southfield is one of the more impressive preparatory programs when it comes to offensive line development and getting guys to the college level. Day credits DiNicola for the success in the trenches and believes the competition that Watts sees every day in practice will help him transition to Big Ten football at Wisconsin more smoothly.
"I think within the last four years, Hardy will be the eighth Division One O-lineman that we've put out and they're all different in their own way," Day said about Dexter Southfield. "One thing that we talk about in our program with those guys in practice every day is, it's an iron sharpens iron situation. I think hopefully we've helped prepare these guys for college and helped prepare Hardy for college because on any given day, he's going to be (up against top talent). Last year, he was up in practice against four or five others who either are current guys that are already graduated early and are already at Division One schools or guys that will be heading that direction in the future.
"So I think that's something that definitely will play into Hardy's favor when he does graduate early and he'll get there (to Wisconsin) in January. And it's going to obviously take on a whole other higher level, but I think it's something a little bit unique with our program that we are known nationally now for is producing offensive linemen and getting guys to the highest level. I think we have an outstanding offensive line coach in Dan DiNicola ... He's the secret sauce to the whole thing."
Watts, Day, DiNicola and the Dexter Southfield team are looking for a sixth-straight New England bowl game appearance and striving for a bowl championship in 2024.
"We're excited for Hardy and really looking forward to seeing him have a great senior year," Day said.
Wisconsin now has 21 commitments in its 2025 class as of July 1. The Badgers rank in the top-10 in the national recruiting rankings.