Cape Coral High School has seen a noticeable change behind the bench, as former Florida Gator and Super Bowl champion Jaylen Watkins joins the team in their pursuit for success. Before joining the Seahawks full-time, Watkins made a few appearances on the field last season which sparked his interest in returning to the place where it all began.
As a former Seahawk, Watkins’ return seemed inevitable. “I always told myself that I didn’t want to coach anywhere if it wasn’t for an alma mater, better to come back and place where you played and saw a lot of success,” said Watkins. Watkins graduated from Cape High in 2010 where he recorded an impressive 1649 passing yards and 1257 rushing yards.
With his extensive professional experience, Watkins explained that he wants to spread his talent and skill across the entire team, stating “I’ve been teaching them things that I’ve learned in college, things that I learned in NFL. A lot of times the NFL is looked at something that’s so complicated, but our guys have been great.”
Former college teammate and current football Head Coach Tyler Murphy noted that Watkins is always open for improvement and handles criticism well. “He’s always open to finding ways to better himself, whether he’s reading books or meeting with top business people or executives or leaders in the community, he’s always trying to find ways to grow,” Murphy stated.
In addition to being open-minded, Watkins formulates his coaching based on what he has learned. “I think that’s going to work to see the biggest difference is actually being able to teach them and being able to provide the resources to help them perform well.”
However, the most significant experience he brings to the team is his participation in and victory at the Super Bowl. Watkins became a world champion in 2018 with his draft team the Philadelphia Eagles, playing against their rival the New England Patriots.
Watkins recalled moments that led up to his eventual victory, noting, “We [the team] looked up in week eleven, and we were ten and one, and we were just like, ‘this is for real.’ So it’s just kind of like a standard and that’s what we’re talking about here. No matter who’s in the game, there’s a standard level of play that we have to perform at, and that team made me realize that that’s one of the biggest things you can ask for the team.”
His Super Bowl title not only provides him with many stories to share, but it also allows him to offer the team valuable wisdom and professional advice. “Winning the Super Bowl you play where the expectation level is the utmost high,” Watkins elaborated. “So I have a very low tolerance for laziness, tardiness, not being accountable, and that we believe that how you are off the field is your own field. So I would say that I’m very strict, but I’m very reasonable care about my players when I work in the other coach, I’m gonna help them on off the field.”
Given his specialty in defense, Watkins will take charge of the defensive unit as the defensive assistant. Former head coach Larry Gary is excited to see what the new defense can do this season, stating, “The defense is elevated, it’s more of a college structure and more detail. It is all around a better build than before. One is more offensive and one is more defensive and putting all that together for special teams, you have fine coaches that know what they’re doing.”
Murphy places full trust in Watkins when it comes to managing the defense. “It allows me to not have to worry about the defense and I can give him a defense and just let him work,” Murphy said. “He’s been around a lot of great coaches, a lot of great players, and so he’s able to teach at a really high level. It takes a lot of pressure off of the other coaches and staff. You just let them do what they do best.”
When it comes to scouting talent, Murphy believes Watkins is always ahead of the game. “I think Jaylen has a great eye for talent and spotting skill sets that people are good at,” said Murphy. “I was at Lehigh last year, and he talked all the time about players that we were coaching before I even got to Cape Coral as part of the staff. I felt like I knew about the whole team because he kept pointing out everybody’s skill set.”
In addition to improving the defense, Watkins aims to enhance both the team’s culture and the school spirit. “I’m trying to help bring this culture back so that all sports and all athletics can dominate, it really starts with the community,” Watkins explained. “Our team won’t go anywhere without the community, which is the school, which is the student body, the chair, the administration, you need the entire city,
“The entire city of Philadelphia was shut down to go to a game and we remember that, and that’s what we played so hard for. So we play hard for our families, but we also play hard for the city, the school. So just trying to bring that culture back.”
Murphy agreed with Watkins, stating “I think anytime someone comes from a culture that is in a Super Bowl, they realize that you need everybody. It’s not just the football players or football coaches. It comes down to the janitors, the chefs, the administration, the teachers, the community, the parents, it takes a tribe to win a championship.”
Stronger defense, stronger culture, stronger spirit—these are what Watkins hopes to achieve in his stint with the Seahawks. His pride and leadership can lead the team to success, and with his bond with the staff, the sky’s the limit.
