WAVERLY, N.Y. (WENY) - Waverly football standout Xavier Watson has had nothing short of an incredible and historic high school athletic career. Wednesday afternoon, the pass catcher put pen to paper to officially commit to play football at the Division I level for the UConn Huskies. 

Watson plans on graduating from Waverly in January 2025 with the hopes of enrolling early at UConn. There, Watson will be able to get a head start with the team, participating in spring ball ahead of the 2025 regular season. 

While a Wolverine, Watson finished with over 2,000 total offensive yards on 132 receptions and nine carries. He averaged 51.8 receiving yards per game and finished his career with 30 touchdowns. He helped lift the Wolverines to the football program's first-ever state title in 2023. Watson was also on the varsity basketball and track and field teams. He helped lead the basketball team to the Section IV Class B title last season and became a state champion on the track as well, racing in the 4x100 relay race. 

Watson received 12 total DI offers from the AAC to the Ivy League. He spoke about why UConn was the right fit for him. 

"When I took my first visit to UConn a while back, really they were the best school when it came to just the way they treated me when I came on campus", said Watson. "I mean I got there at 8:30 at night and I already had a coach there at my hotel ready to greet me, show me my room and everything, and then the whole time I was there I really just took good care of me. So it was nice, nice to see that and it's just, it's nice to know they want you as bad as you want them. And then, besides that, everything else, like I mentioned before, the way they run the offense and the campus and everything really stood out to me."

UConn football is a part of the FBS and participates independently. The Huskies went 8-4 last season and look to face North Carolina in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on 12/28.