JJ Watt Was Almost a Wyoming Cowboy … No, Seriously

LARAMIE -- Oh, what could have been.

Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt Friday appeared on the Dan Patrick Show where he described his college recruitment and his first college offer. That came courtesy of Joe Glenn and the Cowboys.

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"The coaches, they flew us out there," Watt said. "We went out there for a visit to Wyoming and they offered me. I was blown away."

How did Wyoming come about?

Watt's father, John, got the ball rolling.

"My dad -- this is incredible -- he literally flew out to Wyoming, put my tape on the desk of the coach, and flew home," he said with a laugh. "I mean, I'm thankful to him."

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During his prep career at Pewaukee High School in his native Wisconsin, Watt registered 44.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks. That earned him conference defensive player of the year honors as a senior.

That's not all.

Watt also snagged a total of 38 catches for 549 yards and 11 touchdowns from the tight end spot. He was also named the all-around league player of the year, along with the title of first-team all-state, all-county and all-area.

Minnesota showed interest in the dual-threat athlete. So did Colorado, Northern Illinois, Wyoming and Central Michigan.

He chose the latter.

Watt would play just one season in Mount Pleasant. He hauled in eight passes for 77 yards in 14 outings before then head coach Butch Jones suggested a position switch to offensive tackle. Instead of making that move, Watt decided to walk on at the University of Wisconsin where he redshirted during the 2008 season.

All he did after that was tally 36.5 tackles and 11.5 sacks in just two years in Madison. He tacked on 106 tackles and an interception. Those stats earned him the Ronnie Lott Trophy and an All-American nod, along with All-Big Ten honors. He was also voted the team MVP.

Watt was eventually selected No. 11 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Seven times he was named an all-pro. He landed in five pro bowls and twice led the league in sacks. Watt was also named to the NFL's 2010's All-Decade Team.

Soon, he will get the call to Canton and be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Was Wyoming in the mix at all? Here's how Watt explains it.

"They had this board with like 15 D-ends on it," he said. "They were like, we're offering all 15 of these guys. The first four that accept are coming here. I'm just going to tell you that's how it's going to work. At the time, I'm like, I don't know if I'm going to get another offer. My dad's like, I don't know if you're going to get another offer. So you start to get the wheels turning. But then the (recruiting) process kind of took off as it was, but I'll never forget getting that first offer, flying out to Wyoming and being out there. I believe it's Lar ..."

Patrick helped him out, letting him know the town is called Laramie.

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If Watt landed on the high plains, he would've suited up on defense with players like John Fletcher, Mitch Unrein, Chris Prosinski and Ward Dobbs. On the offensive side of the ball, he would've caught passes from Karsten Sween and ran routes with Michael Ford, Greg Bolling, Hoost Marsh and Wade Betschart.

Could you imagine?

- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players