Believe In Bookie
August 12, 2021 | Football, Joel Coleman
Nathaniel Watson is ready to do whatever the Bulldogs ask of him.
STARKVILLE – It was late November of last season and Mississippi State's Nathaniel Watson was staring down the barrel of his first career start. MSU was in Georgia, awaiting a battle of the Bulldogs. Six games into the year, Watson had played in every game, but in a reserve role. It was finally his time to shine as a starter.
There was just one inconvenience. Watson was being asked to play the Sam linebacker spot. He'd trained at all three linebacker positions, but at Sam, well, Watson needed a refresher. He was familiar with the duties but had never played the role in full.
"I had to get some key pointers," Watson said this week as he recounted it all. "I had it in my mind coming into fall camp last year that I was going to know all three linebacker positions just in case something happened. It happened and I got my chance."
Watson had a unique classroom where he got his Sam tips. It was the parking lot of the MSU team hotel. Watson proved to be a great student as he listened, learned and then went on to log four tackles, 1.5 stops for loss and a pass breakup in Athens.
Shortly after it all occurred, State outside linebackers coach Matt Brock described the scenario, giving praise to the man they call Bookie for how he handled things.
"Most people would flinch in that situation," Brock said last fall. "Bookie just looked at it like an opportunity. That's what you love about him. The kid wants to be on the field. He wants to contribute however he can."
Watson carries the same unselfish demeanor into 2021 as he seeks to be a humongous piece for MSU's defense.
A week into training camp, Watson – now playing Mike linebacker – is consistently running with the ones. He's finding a home in the middle of the field, even though he's still able to shift to the outside if State needed him to. Watson is a versatile guy, in part, because of honing his skills in that parking lot in Georgia. He intends to stay flexible.
"I still plan to know the other positions just in case someone goes down," Watson said. "I want to learn the whole defense just for my sake."
It's the attitude of a leader. That's incredibly fitting, given who came before Watson.
MSU's previous starting Mike linebacker was Erroll Thompson. Thompson was a cornerstone of the Bulldog defense for basically half a decade before signing with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. To be the man that follows Thompson is no enviable task.
Thompson put together one of the best linebacker resumes in State history. None of that is lost on Watson.
"I know I have big shoes to fill," Watson says.
Yet there's no hesitation. There's no added pressure, Watson says.
There shouldn't be. Watson has proven himself to be as reliable of a Bulldog as there is. The Georgia game of a year ago was Watson's first start, but it wasn't his last. He went on to start three of MSU's final five games. He finished the year as one of only eight Bulldogs with 40 or more tackles. He totaled three tackles for loss.
Watson did it all while playing whichever linebacker spot MSU needed him at, whenever the Bulldogs needed him to do it. There's a trust in Watson from his coaches, and to say he's appreciative for it is an understatement.
"I take a lot of pride in it," Watson said. "I had the same trust in high school with my head football coach, and to have that same level of trust in college, it means a lot to me."
The full belief in Bookie's makeup and talent is why the Bulldogs seem confident he can step in and help replace Thompson's production. Yes, Thompson was outstanding, but MSU knows Watson can be too.
"He's got a great work ethic," State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett said of Watson. "We've been pleased with him since we got here. All Bookie needs to worry about is just being the best version of himself. He doesn't need to spend any time thinking about the guy he's replacing. That doesn't matter."
Put bluntly, Arnett just wants Bookie to be Bookie. It doesn't seem as though that'll be a problem at all.
Watson is geared up to do absolutely anything that's asked of him. If it's something he's unfamiliar with, perhaps Watson will be asked to return to the parking lot nearest him for training. And if that happens?
"I'll tell them I can do it," Watson said. "Nothing to it but to do it."
