[2024] Jonathan Watson doing better to prove his worth academically amid redshirt season

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Nemo News Network site for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini

Jonathan Watson with a football during the 2023 Spring Game. Watson redshirted during the past season but is slated to be the starter for the upcoming 2024 season. 

There are a lot of things that players can do when they get redshirted. These players are redshirted because a coach sees plenty of potential in them to perform in the upcoming year. These players, of course, have the ability to practice themselves. Maybe they hit the gym, maybe they take in campus culture, maybe they help cheer their team on. For now-redshirted Jonathan Watson, a junior from Harbor City, California, physicals are not the only thing that Watson has trained himself on for his sabbatical.

"At a young age, I learned about how important education was for your success, and I feel like I do have the need to go above and beyond in that regard," Jonathan told PCB. "That was the exact mindset that I had during high school, and that is the mindset that I have now." 

Jonathan Watson clearly pushes himself to succeed. What seems to be the struggle for some players is something that Jonathan Watson has overcome. In fact, Jonathan Watson devoted his time to hitting the books in addition to hitting the field. Clearly, Watson has been academic-focused throughout his entire time in college. This hasn't been something that only played out during the redshirt year for Watson, though; this has been for -- currently -- his time here at Illinois.  It was revealed that Watson had made it to the Dean's List twice during his freshmen year and was on track to make it during the upcoming fall semester as well. His parents also tell us that he seems to be an all-A student, as they say, that he is academically gifted. Watson, a pupil at the GIES College of Business with a minor in Finance, is currently on track to graduate on time from Illini in 2025. 

When we asked if Watson felt any pressure balancing his academic and athletic life, he answered with this:

"I honestly don't think so. If you think that, that's fine. But clearly, I don't feel like that has been a burden. It's actually kind of simple really. If I could do it, imagine how well other athletes can utilize this mindset. Being in a prestigious academic university such as Illinois, you can clearly understand how easy it is." 

But that is not all that Watson is doing to make his academic mark on the world. During this past summer, Watson started an organization named "The JW Program of Excellence", or "Project JW" for short. Simply put, this program was made with the sole purpose of helping local athletes -- not only in central Illinois, but from other parts of the country -- strive for academic greatness. Watson runs this program back in his high school in Narbonne, also with Jacob Wilson, UCLA pitcher also from Narbonne High. 

"The chance to create something like this is just a tremendous opportunity," Watson declared. "I want to help athletes succeed in the academic sense. No athlete should be left behind in the academic field, and I feel like I am doing my best to help this cause." 

Clearly, Watson is doing his best to better the lives of many college athletes. His road to if he can make his mark in the NFL is unclear, but it clear that he will help the next generation of athletes to come. For Jonathan Watson, this is only the beginning to leaving a legacy, whether big or small, to the athletic field -- whether on or off. 

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Edited January 28 by nemolee.exe