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Recruiting roundup: Plethora of Division-I commitments

 
Admiral Farragut’s Craig Watts likes Wisconsin.
Admiral Farragut’s Craig Watts likes Wisconsin.
Published July 2, 2015

Area football players have been committing to college programs left and right this summer. Here are a few recent pledges you may have missed:

Admiral Farragut: Defensive back Craig Watts committed to the University of Wisconsin during a weekend visit to the school. Watts, who is a four-star recruit and considered the 16th best player at his position by 247Sports, has nearly 40 offers, including ones from Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Alabama.

The 6-foot, 180-pound Watts played at Gibbs last season before transferring to Admiral Farragut. He is expected to be a strong safety at Wisconsin.

"I loved everything about my visit," Watts said. "I loved the town, the people, the coaches, everything. I knew that's where I wanted to go.''

Watts said he made visits to other schools, including Florida State and UCF. But he felt most comfortable at Wisconsin. After more than a year of going through the recruiting process, Watts said he's ready to focus on his senior year at Admiral Farragut.

"I'm really happy to make this decision," Watts said. "I'm excited."

Countryside: Offensive lineman Wyatt Panaccione committed to Florida International. Panaccione, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound senior, picked the Panthers two days after they became the first school to extend an offer.

"The coaches were great," Panaccione said. "We could have a really good offensive line class. They really wanted me. They only had one more spot for offensive line so I committed to hold it and if I don't want it and I like another school I can decommit."

Last year, Panaccione was part of a line that paved the way for Dante Satcher to rush for 1,197 yards and score 12 touchdowns. Panaccione said he will visit FIU on July 20.

Plant: Defensive back Johayward "Scoop" Bradshaw has committed to Syracuse. Bradshaw, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound rising senior, is the second Panther to commit to the Orange this month. On June 9, quarterback Rex Culpepper picked Syracuse over offers from Florida, Miami and Clemson, among others.

Last season Bradshaw was second on the team in tackles, recording 110, 26 for loss. He also had two interceptions, nine passes defended, a fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. In addition to shining on defense, Bradshaw occasionally returned kickoffs for the Panthers, picking up 115 yards on three returns.

He had six other offers besides Syracuse, including ones from USF, Indiana and Marshall.

Wharton: Receiver Devontres Dukes is bound for UCF. Dukes, rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, had five offers, including N.C. State and Toledo. He picked the Knights in large part because of the school's proximity.

"The majority of my family lives in the Orlando area so I would like for all of them to be able to take a 30-minute drive to see me play," Dukes said.

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Last season, Dukes transferred from North Carolina and was the Wildcats' top receiving threat. His stock soared this spring and summer. UCF also emerged as the front-runner because of the school's ability to produce NFL ready receivers.

"UCF having so many NFL receivers was a factor in the end," Dukes said. "At first N.C. State was leading, but then I actually took a step back and worried about the long term."