Five-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. leaves First Baptist, headed to Venice

[ad_1]

Southwest Florida’s top wide receiver prospect is on the move again.

Winston Watkins Jr., rated a five-star recruit by Rivals, announced his intent to transfer from First Baptist up to Venice, where he’ll play his senior year for John Peacock and the Indians.

Watkins made the announcement public on his social media pages Thursday night during the Southwest Florida Sports Awards Show, where he was a finalist for Football Offensive Player of the Year.

Winston Watkins Jr., First Baptist Academy, Football, All Area, Fall 2023.

Watkins’ transfer marks his third school in the last year, having transferred to First Baptist from the IMG Academy midway through the 2023 season. With the Lions, he accounted for 1,224 scrimmage yards (1,170 receiving, 51 rushing, 3 passing) with 17 total touchdowns in eight games. With the Ascenders, Watkins posted 34 receptions for 526 yards and 12 touchdowns over his sophomore and junior seasons.

As a middle schooler with Evangelical Christian, he caught 25 passes for 430 yards and a pair of scores, adding 199 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Watkins has 29 offers from South Carolina, Ole Miss, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, Alabama, Ohio State, and Texas among others. Rivals has the 5-foot-10, 174-pound Fort Myers native ranked as the No. 17 wide receiver in the country and No. 3 in Florida.

Watkins’ football stops

2020: Evangelical Christian

2021-23: IMG Academy

2023: First Baptist

2024: Venice

Winston Watkins from FBA gains yards against Moore Haven during the Class 1S-Region 4 championship at FBA Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. FBA leads 20-0 at half

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: First Baptist…

[ad_2]

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/five-star-wide-receiver-winston-160632943.html

Author : Naples Daily News

Publish date : 2024-06-07 16:06:32

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

Scroll to Top