Ryan Watts

Former defensive back at Texas. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.

DB · Texas · Sr. · #6

6′3″ · 213 lb · Little Elm, TX

CFB Index 36 · #394 of 538 safetiesLow confidencePittsburgh — drafted 2024, Rd 6, Pick 19, #195 overall

Recruiting

4★

S recruit

No. 205 nationally · Signed with Ohio State

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former defensive back at Texas. Career stats, games and honors on CFB Zeitgeist.

Signed as a 4-star recruit to Ohio State in 2020.
Transferred from Ohio State to Texas in 2022.
Drafted round 6 by the Pittsburgh in 2024.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Texas, 99 tackles — drafted at #195 overall by Pittsburgh.

His career

He barely played early on. Then he did not come off the field.

20203 games

Signed with Ohio State4-star out of Little Elm

202212 games

The role got bigger.

Entered the portal

2024

Drafted by Pittsburghround 6, pick 195

Career arc

Recruit

★★★★

#205 national

CFB

College

2 teams

2020–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

R6 · #195

Pittsburgh · 2024

Coaching lineage · 2020–2023

2 coaches

2020

Tom Herman

Texas

2021–2023

Steve Sarkisian

Texas

era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Tom Herman → Steve Sarkisian. Worth noting in scheme + development context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

PittsburghEntering 3rd NFL season

#195Rd 6 · Pick 19

PittsburghEntering 3rd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2020Ohio State7-1HC: Ryan Day · Run-leaning, fast tempo

2021Ohio State11-2HC: Ryan Day · Balanced, fast tempo

2022Texas8-5HC: Steve Sarkisian · Run-leaning

2023Texas12-2HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

36Below cohort / limited sample #394 of 538?

Medium confidence6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (81st percentile). Concern: sacks (24th percentile).

Box-score production (6)

Solo tackles#523 / 2842 · 81st pct

Passes defended#512 / 2842 · 78th pct

Tackles#983 / 2842 · 65th pct

Tackles for loss#1868 / 2842 · 28th pct

1.0

QB hurries#1486 / 2842 · 24th pct

Sacks#1503 / 2842 · 24th pct

0.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 10 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home5g	3.4	0.0	0.0	0.4
Road5g	4.0	0.2	0.0	0.2

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-75g	4.4	0.2	0.0	0.2
Weeks 8+5g	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Steve Sarkisian

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

Rotational

Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

36 · #394 of 538 safeties

Former four-star. Now #394 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	Texas	37	30	1.0	0.0	3	--	--
2022	Texas	51	35	4.0	1.0	3	1	--
2021	Ohio State	6	5	0.0	0.0	--	2	--
2020	Ohio State	5	5	0.0	0.0	--	--	--
Career		99	75	5.0	1.0	6	3	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2023

W 34–24

at Alabama

1 PD · 1 TFL · 2 SOLO

With Q. Ewers — 349 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 89.4 · 11 rush yds (3 car) · R. Sanborn — 50 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 56 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 2	W 34-24@ Alabama	4	2	1.0	—	1
Wk 3	W 31-10vs Wyoming	6	6	0.0	—	0
Wk 4	W 38-6@ Baylor	4	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 5	W 40-14vs Kansas	2	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	W 35-6vs BYU	0	0	0.0	—	1
Wk 10	W 33-30vs Kansas State	8	7	0.0	—	1	Season-high 8 tackles
Wk 11	W 29-26@ TCU	4	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 26-16@ Iowa State	2	2	0.0	—	0
Wk 13	W 57-7vs Texas Tech	1	0	0.0	—	0
Bowl	L 31-37@ Washington	6	5	0.0	—	0
Total		37	30	1.0	—	3

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology