Watkins Game of the Week 2 took me on a journey across the country to the farm at Stanford University. I checked my past calendar, and I haven't been on the Stanford campus for three years. One year was lost to covid, and I attended the Stanford/USC game in Los Angeles last year. Of course, it's a different kind of rivalry between Stanford and USC, but on this occasion, the top 10 ranked trojans were coming north to Palo Alto. We have 3 Watkins men in this competition. Elijah Higgins and Aeneas DiCosmo at Stanford and Charles Thompson Jr at USC. Having attended Stanford vs. USC several times in recent years, my excitement mounted to get out there to see my friends from Stanford whom I hadn't seen in a while.

Elijah Higgins (Watkins Class of 2019) is Stanford's starting receiver/tight end. Stanford's unique hybrid position has translated well to the NFL over the past decade. E. Higg could have come out for the draft last year projected as a 3rd round draft pick. He decided to return and get his Stanford degree before taking on his next endeavor. Elijah has always been a freak of nature physically. He has the speed, agility, and mobility of the receiver. Imagine seeing an armored car traveling with the speed and grace of a bullet train. Standing 6'5" tall and roughly 245 pounds, Higgie is a much more physical specimen than his accompanying linemen. Last year, with a lack of experience at the quarterback position at Stanford, he still amassed over 40 catches. This year we have a much larger goal as we audition for the NFL. Elijah has taken not only a leadership role on his team but also in the entire conference. He has worked very hard to protect the rights of his fellow athletes. I look forward to a great season and a front-row seat to his high draft position in the 2023 NFL Draft. While being the busiest person on campus, he is focused on graduating this year with a Stanford degree in #$##. Aeneas" AD" DiCosmo (Watkins Class of 2019) is finally in the first team rotation at Stanford. It's been a fight for him to get on the field at Stanford. Current defensive schemes have better utilized his skill set. I must admit marveling at what appears to be tree trunks for legs. How good it is to see him battling with his teammates and contributing. Aeneas' education is more important to him than sports as he is also on course to graduate this year with a Stanford Degree in Film and Media with a minor in Chinese. And yes, no surprise, he will graduate from Stanford with a GPA of 3.8. Yes, I said it is a 3.8GPA!!! On the other side of the ball at USC is Chris Thompson (Watkins Class of 2020) in the safety position. In his third season, Chris has had difficulty getting on the field as he is not playing for his 3rd head coach in 3 years. That's a near-impossible feat. Despite this challenge, he is included on some of the defensive packages, and I am sure he will prove his value as an elite player. In time he will shine. Chris informed me that he wouldn't travel to Stanford for this game due to an injury. Speaking to Chris, he reminded me that things would happen in God's time. Regardless of his tumultuous journey, he hasn't slipped in class. His dedication to education has him on course to graduate early with a degree in Finance with a 3.7 GPA!!

The score would lead one to believe that the highly ranked USC team dominated Stanford; however, there were an excessive number of missed scoring opportunities by Stanford. Inside the 10-yard line 3 times and walked away with no points. My joy was seeing George and Karon, parents of Elijah, and Maia, the mother of Aeneas and Anthony, his dad. Much love to Mike Eubanks and the Stanford program for the ultimate hospitality. Everyone at Stanford and parents sends their regards to the Watkins Family.

​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.