J. J. Watt

Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Houston Texans.

He captured the state title in the shot put at the 2007 WIAA Division II Championship, setting a new school record with a throw of 59 ft, 11.5 in (18.28 meters).

Regarded as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Watt was ranked among neither the top tight end nor the top defensive end prospects in his class.

After official visits to Central Michigan, Colorado, and Minnesota, Watt chose to play at Central Michigan under coach Butch Jones.

Watt received a scholarship offer from Central Michigan University.

He has stated that he was led to believe by Butch Jones that, as a tight end, he would have the opportunity to score touchdowns.

At Central Michigan, he played 14 games, compiling 77 receiving yards and 8 receptions.

Watt's coaches, led by Jones, suggested that he move to offensive tackle, but Watt decided to forgo his starting spot and scholarship to walk-on at the University of Wisconsin, where he played as a defensive end.

At the University of Wisconsin, Watt redshirted the 2008 season and was named Wisconsin's Scout Team Player of the Year.

In 2009, he played in 13 games as a defensive end.

In a game against Hawaii on December 5, 2009, Watt had a career-high of two sacks, three tackles for loss, six tackles, and one quarterback hurry.

Watt finished the season with 32 solo tackles, 12 assisted tackles, four and a half sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and five passes defended.

He also earned his first letter.

On November 20, 2010, against Michigan, he recorded his first collegiate interception.

Overall, in the 2010 season, Watt played in 13 games and led the team in tackles for loss, quarterback hurries, blocked kicks, and forced fumbles.

He finished the season with 42 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackles, 21 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one interception for 15 yards, nine passes defended, and three fumbles forced.

He earned the Ronnie Lott Trophy in 2010, voted AP and Sports Illustrated second-team All-American, All-Big Ten first-team, academic All-Big Ten, and was voted the team's MVP.

He played college football at Central Michigan and Wisconsin and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

Considered to be one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time, Watt received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons.

Although primarily a defensive end, he occasionally shifted to defensive tackle.

Watt skipped his senior season, entering the 2011 NFL Draft.

At the 2011 NFL Combine, he was a top performer in all combine categories except the 40-yard dash.

On April 28, 2011, he was the first defensive end selected in the first round when the Houston Texans picked him as the 11th overall pick.

The Texans signed Watt to a four-year, $11.24 million contract on July 31, 2011.

He also took snaps on offense, catching three touchdown passes during the 2014 season.

He holds the Texans' franchise records for sacks and forced fumbles.

In 2017, Sports Illustrated named Watt its Sportsman of the Year.

After retiring in 2023, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst.

He is the older brother of T. J. Watt and Derek Watt.

Watt was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, to parents Connie, a building operations vice president, and John, a firefighter.

Both of J.J.'s younger brothers also played in the NFL.

Derek Watt was a fullback and T. J. Watt plays outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Watt played ice hockey from age four to 13 and played for travel or competitive teams that traveled to Canada and Germany.

He gave up hockey when weekly games started to conflict with his schedule and for financial reasons.

Watt also played football throughout his childhood and became passionate about the sport while he was in fifth grade.

Watt attended Pewaukee High School, where he was a four-year letter-winner in football and also lettered in basketball, baseball, and track and field.

He earned the Woodland Conference Player of the Year Award his senior year, and first-team All-State, All-County, All-Area, and All-Conference selections as tight end and defensive end.

He was also named the team's MVP.

During his senior year, Watt accumulated a total of 399 receiving yards, 26 catches, and 5 touchdowns.

Watt followed in his father's footsteps and competed in the shot put during his senior season, earning first-team All-state selection.