NORTHWEST RANKIN LINEBACKER DANIEL WATKINS EARNS JUNCTION DELI METRO JACKSON FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

By Robert Wilson

Darrell Palmer has been a part of Northwest Rankin football for the past 13 seasons, either doing the play by play on the road or being the public address announcer at home games.

And Thursday night, Palmer called Northwest Rankin senior inside linebacker Daniel Watkins’ name more times than anyone that he can remember – even Northwest Rankin, Mississippi State and Florida State alumnus and current Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones – since he started doing NWR football games.

The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Watkins had a career-high 22 tackles – 16 solos – 5 tackles for loss and one quarterback hurry to lead Northwest Rankin to a 13-7 victory over Pearl in a MHSAA Class 7A, Region 3 opener for both teams at Northwest Rankin.

For his outstanding performance, Watkins has been named the Junction Deli/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Football Player of the Week.

Watkins – a Copiah-Lincoln Community College commitment – led the charge for the Cougar defense, which allowed only 209 total yards, 133 rushing and 76 passing. It was the least number of points allowed since a 35-0 victory over George County in 2019.

“Daniel had a big impact on the game,” Northwest Rankin coach Devin Cooper said. “He played physical and made plays in big moments. Daniel is a senior linebacker that understands our defense and all the adjustments. He has a natural instinct for putting himself in the right places.

“Pearl has a great defense. We knew coming into the game we would have to keep points off the board to win this game. Daniel along with the defense answered the challenge. He was consistent on his reads and reacted fast to put himself where the ball was all night. I am really proud of him and the defense for their effort and execution.”

This wasn’t the first time this season Watkins had a big game. He had 21 tackles, 11 solos, four tackles for loss and one sack in a 35-34 victory over Clinton in the third game this season.

Watkins has a team-high 87 tackles, 14 for loss, 2 sacks, 1 hurry, 1 blocked field goal attempt and 1 blocked punt this season.

Watkins is the son of Daniel Watkins, Sr., and Latrina Chambers and Tray Matthews. Daniel attended Canton High. Latrina attended SV Marshall in Holmes County. Tray played football at South Delta. Watkins’ brother, Jarkevis Byrd, is in the military.

Northwest Rankin, 4-2 overall and 1-0 in region play, plays Friday at Meridian, 4-3 and 0-1.

Mississippi Scoreboard selects a football player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.