Football offers grow for Hawks
The combination of outstanding on-field performance and strong work in the classroom has paved the way for several Cape Coral High football players to receive scholarship offers from some of the biggest programs in the country.
While juniors Jaylen Watkins, Spencer Boyd and Dan Koenig take their time to decide where to continue their playing careers, the list of possibilities continues to grow.
In the past few days, the versatile Watkins (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) picked up an offer from the University of Georgia, adding to an impressive list that includes Florida, Florida State, Miami, Alabama, Tennessee and Ohio State.
Boyd (5-10, 160) received an offer from Michigan Tuesday, to go along with Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Stanford and Vanderbilt.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Boyd, who plays running back and defensive back. “It’s a long process and confusing, but it’s great to have all these opportunities.”
Koenig (6-6, 255), a left tackle, picked up his first offer from Southern Miss during last football season and since has added the likes of South Florida, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
The Seahawks arguably have enjoyed their greatest success over the past four years, advancing to the state playoffs three times. Boyd, Watkins and Koenig were key players the past two seasons, resulting in playoff berths.
Boyd has been the team’s feature running back the past two seasons. He gained 1,069 yards and scored 15 touchdowns as a sophomore. Though an injury slowed his production last season, Boyd made more of an impact as a defensive back, the position he is being recruited to play at the next level.
His school record 104-yard interception return led the Seahawks to a 23-10 victory over rival Mariner.
Heading into last season, Watkins already was a dynamic player at defensive back and wide receiver. He then split time at quarterback with senior Colin Saring, and made several highlight-reel plays.
One of Watkins’ signature performances came in a 36-35 loss to Naples. He passed for 137 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 85 yards, all in the second half.
Boyd and Watkins also have qualified for state in track.
Each received their first football offer from Wake Forest a few weeks back and things took off from there once more teams watched the highlight tapes.
Watkins said he has put together a preliminary list of favorites, which consists of Florida, Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama. He’ll make some visits before his senior season, but may not decide until after the season.
“However long it takes me,” Watkins said. “I’m going to take my unofficial visits and see if I can make my decision. If I can’t I’ll just let it go until after the season.”
Boyd plans to attend the Notre Dame spring football game and has Michigan on his list of schools to visit. Boyd, though, said he’ll likely wait until after his senior season since he might receive more offers based on performance.
In addition to football, Koenig played basketball for the Seahawks this past season. His athleticism and footwork are strengths as a left tackle prospect.
Koenig also has several trips to make to see which school is the best fit.
Another Cape player drawing offers is junior Jeremy Davis. He previously played at Fort Myers, but is now enrolled at Cape. Davis, a speedster, has received an offer from West Virginia.