It’s not every day that you get to catch passes from an NFL quarterback at your high school. But that’s exactly what Jacorey Watson got to do when Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud stopped by Alvin Shadow Creek to shoot a commercial. 

“I had to catch for him,” said Watson, who is friends with fellow Texans rookie Tank Dell. “It was a fun time being a part of that.”

It may not be the last time either. 

Watson is one of the most prolific athletes and recruits in Texas for 2025. He’s ranked as the No. 43 player overall and No. 9 wide receiver in Texas by Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

While colleges are salivating at his prospects out wide, Shadow Creek uses Watson at quarterback because of his playmaking abilities. 

“I can come down and spin the ball too, that’s what we do in high school right now,” Watson said. “They know about my receiving but I’ve played a little bit of quarterback and I know the defense well.”

It was during a scramble from under center on Nov. 5 against Alief Elsik that Watson made a man miss and had a defender fall on his foot. Despite finishing the game, he later found out news that plagues many high school athletes, a lisfranc injury that cost him his junior season. 

“I’ve always been around every Friday (going to) different games,” Watson said. “For me, hanging on the sideline every game and wanting to play, it hurts.”

Watson has spent most of his varsity life playing quarterback, amassing 2,100 yards and 16 touchdowns overall Yet, where his future will most likely reside  is out wide, where he has gained 566 yards and nine touchdowns through 12 games in his first two seasons. 

“For me going into college, on the field you only have one quarterback (whereas) there’s three people at wide receiver,” Watson said. “Knowing my speed, out there on the island, along with kick and punt return, I can play multiple positions, not just quarterback.”

That speed that Watson speaks of isn’t hyperbole. Watson ran the 100-meter dash in 11.20 seconds in March 2023 and uses his track skills to his advantage on the football field. With the mix of talent as a passer, runner, returner and receiver, Watson’s averaged  111 yards per game in all competitions since joining Shadow Creek’s varsity program.

That versatility is precisely why programs from across the country have offered him already, including Baylor, Colorado, Houston, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and UTSA.

Is anyone standing out to this point?

“Texas and LSU have been reaching out very well,” Watson said. “Ole Miss as well, they have that family type (of recruiting).”

Watson’s most important factor for the next level is through his coach's relationship with his family. Watson is a self-proclaimed ‘Quiet Killer’, whose favorite things in life are his parents and two siblings. Even with his quiet personality in real life, Watson makes himself pop with his hair, dying one side a blonde color to create his two-colored braided style. 

“When I was little I used to go to college camps. I like to have a little dye,” Watson said. “When you have something that sticks out to a coach, they’ll always remember you.”

Watson employs family values in all stages of his life, whether on or off the field and knows that those that make the extra effort are those that he wants to play for.

“I was talking to my dad and he told me he’s sending his child to a coach to be his stepson,” Watson said. “How he treats me as one of his kids, how I’ll do with life after football (are most important).”

Watson already has announced his top 10, which features Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, Michigan, Oregon, Missouri, Kansas, Duke, TCU and hometown Houston. 

Watson is aiming to drop his top 5  in May, with a decision coming in July.