Instant analysis: Xavier Watts decision

Here is some instant analysis on Omaha Burke wide receiver Xavier Watts' decision to pick Notre Dame over Nebraska on Friday.

When I saw the news leak out on Friday morning that Omaha Burke wide receiver Xavier Watts was making his announcement at 3 pm, my initial thought was this probably isn't good news for Nebraska.

Watts is fresh off his official visit to South Bend, and the Irish already have two other wide receivers on their 2020 commit list. I'm sure they shot him straight and said numbers are going to be an issue here, and your spot won't be here forever.

This is smart recruiting by Brian Kelly. The longer they let things go with Watts, the more opportunities it was going to allow the Huskers to keep recruiting him and get him on campus.

I still am a little surprised about the timeline though, as I always got the impression he was going to take an official visit to Nebraska and even Michigan before making a final decision.

By picking Notre Dame, Watts joins a pretty exclusive group of top in-state players that have picked the Irish over the Huskers.

Watts joins Elkhorn's Trevor Robinson (2008), Lincoln Southeast's Ty Goode (1994) and Omaha Creighton Prep's Junior Bryant (1990) and Tim Ridder (1995) as Nebraskans offered by the Big Red, but picked Notre Dame instead.

The Irish also have a pretty strong Nebraska connection on their current coaching staff. Former Husker recruiting staffer Aaryn Kearney is Notre Dame's Director of Recruiting. He's a Nebraska native that worked with Bill Callahan and Bo Pelini. His early knowledge of the state of Nebraska helped the Irish get in the door right away with Watts.

Yes, Watts made his decision to pick Notre Dame today, but I don't expect the Huskers to back down.

Just like losing out Wan'Dale Robinson a year ago, the Husker staff kept recruiting him and it paid off in the end.

I would expect NU to keep their relationship with Watts throughout this season, and having two of his former high school teammates on the roster in Chris Hickman and Nick Henrich should help the Huskers maintain a relationship with him.

This is a big deal to lose out on an in-state guy. It hasn't happened for Frost yet. They were a perfect six-for-six before today. Technically they lost out on Bryson Williams, but he already was a long-time Wisconsin commit before they got here, and he wasn't offered by the previous Husker staff.

Watts' decision also puts into reality the work NU still has in front of them. Most of the in-state kids have no knowledge of the Huskers being nationally relevant. Frost and company need this 2019 season to deliver, and that will go a long way in winning these types of recruiting battles.