Watkins pulls the trigger

Call Anthony Watkins a man of his word. On Tuesday, the speedy 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back from Highline High School in Burien, Washington said he was taking his recruitment day-by-day. Wednesday - a new day - Watkins decided he was ready to put an end to the process, so he called up the Beavers coaching staff to tell them he was their latest verbal pledge.

"After thinking everything through, I decided to commit," Watkins said. "I don't really know how I decided, it just kind of happened. I was talking with Bruce Read and was thinking about doing it then, but I didn't. After I hung up, I thought about it a bit and called him back and told him that I was committing. He was happy."

To be honest, Watkins never really treated his recruitment as an exact science. He had tripped to Corvallis this past weekend and had a nice time, but didn't feel he was ready to pull the trigger on a commitment. But thinking about all the positives of joining the Beavers program, he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

"They're a bowl-caliber team every year and they're in the Pac-10," Watkins said. "They also said that my brother (Brian) would walk-on. At last, he'll get a chance."

An all-around athlete who has played a number of positions in high school, Watkins indicated that the Beavers are projecting him at safety - something he feels will be a great fit. "I'm in the weight room getting ready for track, and it will help me get stronger for football too," Watkins said. "I think I'll be ready to start. I know that Rivals is listing me at 177 or 183 pounds, but I'm over 200 pounds already."

On an additional note, Watkins indicated that he's all set to qualify academically. With his commitment, he's the sixth new commitment from last weekend's visitors to Corvallis, joining Keith Pankey, Kevin Pankey, Kyle Bell, Latu Moala, and Josh LaGrone.