“DREAM BIG, WORK HARD” A simple motto drives J.J. Watt by Jake Harris
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hen J.J. Watt tells you what he wants to accomplish in the 2010 season and beyond, you believe him, no matter how lofty it seems. “My goal is to be the best defensive end in the country,” Watt says. “My goal is to make the NFL and take this team to heights it’s never seen before.” It’s difficult to imagine an individual setting the proverbial bar higher for himself or for his team. But while such bravado might draw eye rolls from cynics or understandable skepticism from objective observers, Watt’s history demands that you take him seriously. After all, if Watt had told you four years ago, as a two-star tight end prospect from Pewaukee, that he would be a starting defensive end at Wisconsin by his sophomore year and record 15.5 tackles for loss in his first season, you probably would have had your doubts then, too. But that’s
exactly where the 6'6", 285-pound Badger defensive lineman is heading into his junior season with expectations sky high. While Watt’s ascent to college football’s upper echelon came quickly, it did not come easily. Throughout a grueling journey that began in a small town west of Milwaukee, Watt’s hard work has combined with the efforts of those close to him to make him ready to claim an enviable piece of Wisconsin football history.
A HOMETOWN PRODUCT The Badgers have become a much more geographically diverse group since Barry Alvarez became the head coach in 1990. While Alvarez found recruiting gems like Ron Dayne on the East Coast, his successor, Bret Bielema, has expanded the search to haul in prospects from places like Ohio, Florida, and Texas.
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2010 IN THE SPOTLIGHT Still, the core of the team remains homegrown. Fans often identify most with the “true” Badgers, the ones they watched live on Friday nights. And while most UW athletes will tell you it’s pretty cool to play college ball in Madison, it is clear that for a lifelong Wisconsinite like J.J. Watt, it means a bit more. “It’s an unreal experience every time I walk out of that tunnel and put on the cardinal and white of the Badgers and wear the ‘W’ on my helmet,” Watt said. “Growing up watching the Badgers and listening to Matt Lepay, it’s really a dream come true to hear him say my name.” Part of the reason Watt believes he’s living a dream every time he puts on the #99 jersey is that, for as long as he can remember, Wisconsin has been a football powerhouse. He’s too young to remember the droughts of the pre-Barry Alvarez days. “Everybody talks about back in the older years when they didn’t fill the stands,” Watt said. “None of us have ever seen that. All we’ve seen is 82,000 every single game and a ton of loyal fans who come out every weekend.” For Watt, though, more persuasive than Wisconsin’s burgeoning national prominence was its status as the hometown team. He has always considered himself somewhat of a homebody, whose closeness with family and the people he grew up with affects his decisions.
In addition to his tightly knit nuclear family, led by his mother, Connie, Watt developed a local network of football people who became his extended family and helped him reach his goals. “I would say my mom, first and foremost, has always been the biggest influence on my life,” Watt said. “But then also [former Badger lineman] Joe Panos was my mentor. I worked out at his facility back home, and he really did a lot for me when I was growing up. He had a great facility for me to work out in. Chris McIntosh came out of Milwaukee, so I look up to him a lot. And my high school coach, Clay Iverson.” Watt’s hard work and the support he received from those surrounding him led to a productive high school career at Pewaukee. He earned first-team all-state, all-county, all-area, and all-conference honors as both a tight end and defensive end. He was also named conference player and conference defensive player of the year as well as team MVP as a senior. Watt simultaneously performed well academically, earning National Honor Society membership and making the high honor roll, a preview of the academic success he would go on to have at UW. Watt’s closeness with his Wisconsin-based family, his high level of play and class performance at the high school level, and his burning desire to stay in state and play in Madison seemed to make him the ideal candidate for a Badger scholarship. As colleges continued to hand out scholarships to high school prospects, though, the truth became clearer: Wisconsin wouldn’t be calling J.J. Watt.
J.J. Watt hopes to say hello to the NFL in the next couple of years. 84 | Badger Kickoff 2010
Watt did receive a handful of Division I offers, turning down Cincinnati, Colorado, Minnesota, and Northern Illinois to compete for the starting tight end spot at Central Michigan under head coach Butch Jones. It wasn’t a bad deal at first glance. Watt would still receive a scholarship to compete at the Division I level, attend school within driving distance of his hometown, and get a legitimate shot at becoming a starter his freshman year. The coaching staff promised Watt that the tight end would be utilized extensively in their high-powered offense and that he would be scoring touchdowns with regularity. After beating out two others for the starting job, Watt poured everything he had into making himself an elite tight end. Unfortunately, he had little to show for it. While the Chippewas went 8–6 and nearly upset Purdue in the 2007 Motor City Bowl, Watt’s season totals made him virtually a non-factor: eight receptions for 77 yards. Zero touchdowns. The experience was difficult for such a fierce competitor.
Photo on previous page: Scott Boehm/Getty Images Photo this page: Joe Robbins/Getty Images
A BUMP IN THE ROAD
“Dream Big, Work Hard”
Photo Top-left: Scott Boehm/Getty Images Photo Bottom-right: Scott Boehm/Getty Images
Watt had plenty to celebrate in 2009.
It was a calculated gamble that Watt was willing to take, but one that not everyone agreed with. “A lot of people said [transferring] was a mistake for me,” he said. Despite knowing he wouldn’t see the field in 2008, Watt maximized his potential in his first year with the team. It’s safe to say the effort paid off. “I worked my tail off for a whole year on the scout team, not being able to play in games,” he said. “I came out of it with [a] scholarship and a starting position, which I’m forever grateful for.” Indeed, it was the way Watt turned coaches’ heads in 2008 that directly led to the program offering him a scholarship. He was the scout team player of the year that season, and earned individual player of the week honors for the scout team three times. Still, to nab the starting defensive end position opposite O’Brien Schofield in advance of the 2009 season was an incredible accomplishment. What sealed it? “Work ethic,” Watt said. “It’s hands-down work ethic. I’ve been taught from a young age that if you work hard, you’re going to get what you want. And my little motto that I have for myself is ‘dream big, work hard.’ All the people that know me know that motto. I have really big
“It taught me about patience,” Watt said. “It taught me about character and it taught me about values and hard work.” The Central Michigan coaching staff approached Watt about a potential move to offensive tackle. He wasn’t thrilled about the idea. If a move to his more natural position of defensive end were an option, he might have been more inclined to take it. As it turned out, not only was that move available, but so was a move to Watt’s more natural home: the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his state school and local team, less than an hour away from his family. As Watt explained, however, this was far from a no-brainer. “It was an extremely tough process,” he said. “Extremely tough. Making the decision alone was the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make in my life. An 18-year-old kid deciding that he wants to try something new, a complete unknown, giving up a Division I scholarship, giving up a starting position that most kids would kill for.”
A BREAKTHROUGH WITH BIELEMA Watt was guaranteed nothing but an opportunity to walk on with the Badgers. In addition to losing his scholarship and a starting role he had already attained with the Chippewas, he was ineligible to play during his first season at Wisconsin, per NCAA transfer rules.
This was a common sight during big games last season. Badger Kickoff 2010 | 85
2010 IN THE SPOTLIGHT
dreams, and I have extremely high goals for myself. The only way to attain your dreams is to work extremely hard.” Watt becoming a starter as a sophomore did nothing to ease the concern among Badger fans about the inexperienced defensive line heading into 2009. Watt again proved the doubters wrong, complementing Schofield’s massive year with 15.5 tackles for loss of his own. Watt also broke up five passes, recorded 4.5 sacks, and recovered two fumbles. The production earned him honorable mention All-Big Ten honors, just two seasons after catching eight passes as a tight end in the Mid-American Conference. It’s only natural to feel some vindication, right? “A little bit,” Watt said while smiling. “I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be, and I still have a lot of things left that I would like to prove to people.” One of those things is proving that he can be a leader. “I’m trying to fill that role that [O’Brien Schofield] and Chris Maragos left behind on the defense,” Watt said. “I’m trying to come out here and be a vocal leader for our guys and provide an example for them to follow suit with, in the weight room [and] on the field.” He has particularly enjoyed playing in Camp Randall Stadium, where a typical crowd outnumbers the capacity at Central Michigan by over 50,000. Two of his best games in
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2009 were against Iowa and Michigan in Madison. Watt says he embraces the culture. “It’s unreal,” he said. “Badger fans are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s one of the greatest feelings ever. I’m trying to cherish every single moment, because I know that this won’t last forever.” He also wants more. “I want this stadium rocking,” Watt said. “I want third downs to be absolutely electric. I want the atmosphere to just be unreal. I’d appreciate if the students would show up a little bit on time, but I just want the fans to keep doing what they’ve been doing all these years. Step it up on third downs and just give us the energy that we need, and we’ll give it right back to them.” Here’s betting Badger fans will have no problem fulfilling the wishes of J.J. Watt, a Wisconsin product who gambled everything for a shot at becoming a nationally prominent defensive end, and won. All he wants next is a BCS berth for his Badgers, followed by a chance at the highest level. Doubtful? Not if he keeps dreaming big and working hard. MSP Jake Harris is a regular contributor to Bucky’s 5th Quarter and works for WTDY News Talk 1670 in Madison.
Photo: Scott Boehm/Getty Images
Watt would like these fans standing for every third down.