Hardy Watts got the call from Penn State earlier this month.
He had just got to work.
Watts is an intern at the Stadium Performance Strength and Conditioning Center in Massachusetts, and soon upon arriving for what was supposedly another ordinary day on the job, he got a text from his head coach at Dexter Southfield High School, Casey Day.
Coach Day was about to make Watts day.
He gave Watts Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein’s number.
Watts called Trautwein, and the two talked for 30 minutes, getting to know each other.
The biggest takeaway from that conversation was that Watts had an offer to play football at Penn State.
After Watts heard the news, he “had to sit down,” he told Nittany Sports Now.
Excited to announce I have earned an offer from Penn State! @CoachCDay @coachdinofb @DXSF_FB @CoachTrautFB @BrianDohn247 @RivalsFriedman pic.twitter.com/278baogbzh
— Hardy Watts (@HardyWatts2) May 17, 2023
“I was taken aback,” Watts said. “I went over and sat on the curb and kind of just sat and said my repeated thanks to coach Trautwein and just was so grateful for the opportunity to play elite Division I college football.”
Of course, Trautwein wouldn’t have offered Watts if he didn’t like his game.
Watts said Trautwein told him he “loves his fast twitch and athleticism” and that Trautwein feels athleticism is something that coaches can’t teach.
Watts is a 6-foot-5, 285-pound hoss who describes himself as “mean” on the field and loves to polish off a block.
“I’m going to finish what I started,” he said. “Unforgiving on the field. I’ll bring that intensity every time I play. I would think of myself as a fundamentals guy—someone who has a lot of fundamentals down. I would say definitely mean, energetic, powerful.”
Watts also enjoys watching and taking note of how offensive linemen— both guards and tackles— at the college and pro level play.
He loves Evan Neal, who formerly played OT at Alabama and now is with the Giants.
He enjoys watching 12-year vet and two-time first-team All-Pro Trent Williams play tackle as well.
The Massachusetts kid is a Patriot die-hard, but feels former Georgia star Broderick Jones will be a stud for the team that picked him in the first round— the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“He’ll be a dawg,” Watts said.
Watts also said he’s watched a lot of another first-round tackle from this year’s draft— Paris Johnson, formerly of Ohio State and now of the Arizona Cardinals.
Watts has also spent time at guard, and tries to learn from Indianapolis Colt veteran Quinton Nelson.
“I take pointers and film from a lot of different offensive linemen who I look up to.
“I wouldn’t just like to call myself an offensive tackle. I’d like to call myself an offensive lineman. Wherever the coach wants to play me, I can play. If the coach wants me to play at guard, I’ll play at guard. If they want me to play at center, I’ll play at center. It doesn’t matter. I just want to play.”
Coming from Massachuttses, Watts hasn’t spent much time at Penn State.
But he knows Happy Valley loves its Lions.
“You won’t get a more loyal, energetic fanbase than you do in State College,” he said. “Just seeing video, I know it’s a hell of a football team. They have great coaching. They’ve had great seasons in the past. It’s definitely a place where people should consider going.”
Along with Trautwein, Watts has talked and texted with Penn State’s Special Teams Coordinator, Stacy Collins, who has visited Dexter Southfield and watched him work out.
Watts doesn’t have any college visits planned at the moment but said he “without a doubt” plans to visit Penn State, as well as the other schools that have offered him— Miami, Pitt, Syracuse, Texas A&M and West Virginia.
It’s still early for Watts, but for now, Penn State’s “near the top” of the list.
Watts has been dreaming of playing high-level Division 1 football since he was a kid, and feels he’s now “reaping some of the rewards.”
“The seeds have been sown,” he said. “It just felt really good.”
