​The second game of Watkins Game of the week 2 featured 5 Watkins men, so I will have to keep it brief to keep this write-up from becoming a novel. After an exciting day in Pittsburgh, it would be tough to match the excitement. However, seeing five young men and potentially their families will make for an incredible day. The second of my double header was Duke (Jaylen Coleman, Michael Reese, Jordan Moore, Wesley Williams) vs. Temple (Quincy Patterson).
 
Temple has quarterback Quincy Patterson from the Watkins Class of 2018. Quincy is becoming one of the most traveled Watkins men in his college career. Quincy (AKA Q) is at his third institution of higher learning. As an elite 11 Quarterback, he started at Virginia Tech. After three years, he transferred to North Dakota State for a year. While at N. Dakota, he seized the starting job and guided them to a national championship. Quincy graduated with his bachelor’s degree and is now pursuing his master’s degree while playing football at Temple. The incumbent quarterback started the game, while Q came in the second half. We will see if he did enough to take the starting job this week. Congratulations to Patterson, who is the first to graduate college from his family and will be the first to get an MBA. Good luck to him in Philly!!
 
Duke has four young men on the squad, and I will go through them chronologically. Jaylen “JC” Coleman (Watkins Class of 2019) is not the starting running back at Duke. JC started his career with a season-ending injury, a ruptured Achilles tendon. He spent a year in rehab and an additional year getting back in top football conditioning. Last year he shared time with another Watkins man Mataeo who is in the NFL now. This year is his breakout year, and he started with a bang scoring the first touchdown of the year for the team. He looks completely healthy and like a stallion running around and through the competition.
JC is on course to graduate with a bachelor’s [degree in biomedical engineering this May, carrying a 3.6 GPA. BTW keep your eyes out on a new invention from Jaylen poised to hit the market soon! Michael “Rockman” Reese is in his third year and 2nd season as the starting outside linebacker for Duke. Reese is getting better every time I see him play, compiling a team-leading number of tackles for loss while using strength and finesse to dominate his opposition. Rockman is still attacking the classroom carrying above a 3.1 GPA in environmental science. Jordan “multi-purpose” Moore spent the last six months battling for the starting quarterback position. While Jordan wasn’t selected as the starting quarterback, he was immediately converted to a receiver, where he is now the starter. He looked great on the field, demonstrating disciplined route running, sure hands, and very quick off the line of scrimmage. As you can always assume, Jordan is quick to the books and classroom, with a 3.7 GPA in Psychology. It looks like he could stand to gain a few pounds, but his future is very bright. Lastly, Wesley “WatchOut” Williams (Watkins Class of 2022) is a newcomer to the duke blue devils football program. In just a few months on campus, he is chiseled up and hoping to get some time this year, as he is already running 2nd on the depth chart. With his Wit, Wisdom, and infectious smile, you better watch out!!
 
It was magnificent to see all the parents. I have much more to discuss with these young men, but I may cover another game this season. This will undoubtedly be the highest number of families and Watkins men I will see in one game the entire season. The Paterson, Coleman, Reese, Moore, and Williams families all send their regards! Duke completely dominated the football competition from start to finish. The next stop is Palo Alto, California, and Stanford Stadium.

Watkins Game of the Week 2022 has been well anticipated for months.  Since attending the draft to watch 4 Watkins men make the jump to the NFL, I looked forward to seeing how this year’s college participants would perform.  Its anticipation led me to schedule two games at the season’s inception.  The first game at Pittsburgh and the second in Durham.  I will split the games into two write-ups.  The first was Pitt with Notre Dame transfer and starting linebacker Shayne Simon vs. one of their top rivals West Virginia in the “Backyard Brawl.”


Shayne Simon (Watkins Class of 2018), the starting middle linebacker, has finally taken his place as a starter in major college football.  Shayne (aka The Terminator) was the top linebacker in the nation, leaving St Peters Prep and heading for the golden dome.   Notre Dame didn’t give him much opportunity to terminate in his four seasons there.  The Terminator was asked to change positions and how he played the game.  This four-year experiment ended with a season-ending shoulder surgery last year.  Shayne fought hard every day since stepping on Notre Dame’s campus to do exactly what the coaches requested of him.  After four years, Shayne became a graduate transfer to the University of Pittsburgh.  Pitt recruited him to be used in his rightful place on defense at middle linebacker.  They refer to it as the Money linebacker, and money he is.  Seeing him out there on the field was as natural as anything I have ever seen on the gridiron.  Watching him scramble to the ball and cover in the secondary was a sight for sore eyes.  The Terminator was back in business tackling, blitzing the quarterback and breaking up passes.  He will only keep getting better as the season progresses.  The absolute greatest outcome of the Notre Dame experience is a bachelor’s degree in finance.  Through all of the adversity and disappointment he still kept his most important focus on education.  That’s what Watkins men do, and he is currently enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Pittsburgh. 

​
This was one of the most exciting games I have ever attended.  It was a game for the ages as both teams battled until the very end.  The lead changed with every score and clinched in an interception by Pitt for a go-ahead score.  Of course, West Virginia drove it down the field and threatened, but ran out of time.  It was great to see Shayne’s mom and dad who send their regards to the Watkins Family.  One of the most rewarding things to see was Shayne’s smile after leaving it all on the field for an opening season victory.   Talk to you soon to update you on tomorrow’s game in Durham!!