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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — T.J. Watt isn't sure which idea is stranger.
The one about him preparing to join his two older brothers as NFL employees next season.
"Surreal," he said.
Or the one about the Wisconsin football team being Watt-less for the first time in nearly a decade.
"Crazy," he said.
Both realities came to life Tuesday when Watt, a junior outside linebacker from Pewaukee, Wisconsin, revealed he would bypass his final season of eligibility with the Badgers to declare for the next NFL draft.
The news came a day after eighth-ranked UW closed out an intensely satisfying season with a 24-16 victory over 12th-rated Western Michigan in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, Texas.
Watt has every intention of joining J.J., a decorated defensive end for Houston, and Derek, a fullback with San Diego, in the NFL in 2017.
T.J. said the fundamentals of his decision to make the jump are rooted in what he feels is best.
"I know a lot of people think I'm making this decision because I'm afraid of getting hurt, but that's not the case at all," he said.
"The truth of the matter is this decision was really hard because I really love Wisconsin, I love the university, I love the coaching staff, I love the guys more than anything.
"But at the same time, this is something I've wanted my whole life and it's an opportunity that's right in front of my face and I've got to take it."
T.J., uncommonly athletic for someone 6-foot-5 and 243 pounds, said he began thinking seriously about turning pro after the Big Ten Conference championship game loss to Penn State in early December.
He went to Dallas "90 percent sure" he would make the move and proceeded to help the Badgers win their third-straight bowl game and finish 11-3 overall.
Watt said he informed UW coach Paul Chryst of his decision after the game.
"I tried to not think about it at all throughout the whole season," Watt said of turning pro. "I feel like I did a good job."
Watt finished a breakout season — he was a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection and a first-team All-American, according to ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated — with four tackles, a quarterback sack, a forced fumble and a pass broken up against the previously unbeaten Broncos.
Overall, Watt amassed 71 tackles, 11.5 quarterback sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one interception (returned for a touchdown) and eight passes defensed while facing seven opponents ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll.
"Battling through so much, I've wanted to be in these shoes for so long I couldn't imagine passing up the opportunity," he said.
Watt came to Wisconsin as a tight end in 2013. He underwent surgery on his right knee in 2014 and his left leading up to the 2015 season.
"The injuries showed me more than anything how badly I wanted to play football again, how serious I was going to take it when I came back, because I didn't want to take practice for granted, I didn't want to take a single play for granted," he said. "I wanted to play 100 percent on each and every snap.
"I wouldn't be where I am today without those injuries because they really showed me how much I love the game. It brought out a hunger that I have for success."
When Watt returned to health, Chryst pitched the idea of moving him to outside linebacker.
Embracing change is a familiar theme for the Watt brothers.
J.J. was a tight end at Central Michigan before transferring to Wisconsin in 2008. He evolved into a pass-rushing terror who was a first-team All-American in 2010 and bypassed his senior season in college to become a first-round NFL draft pick of the Texans in 2011.
Derek, meanwhile, moved from linebacker to fullback after arriving in Madison in 2011. He wound up playing in 47 games (24 starts) for the Badgers on the way to becoming a sixth-round NFL draft choice of the Chargers last spring.
T.J. laughed at the idea that all three brothers figure to punch NFL time clocks next season.
"I don't think that's sunk in yet," he said. "None of this has sunk in at all."
T.J. declined to reveal what feedback he'd received from NFL talent evaluators other than to say "it was good enough to push me in (this) direction."
From 2008 to '16, the Watt brothers were part of Wisconsin teams that were a combined 88-33 (.727) while winning three Big Ten titles, playing in four conference championship games and claiming four bowl wins.
T.J. mentioned that his parents, John and Connie, aren't sure what they'll do on football Saturdays next season to fill the void.
"It's crazy to think about how long a Watt brother has been on the team and it's crazy that it's come to an end," T.J. said.
Of course, T.J. got advice from his brothers regarding his decision to turn pro.
"They're happy and support me 100 percent," he said. "They would have been happy regardless of what I did.
"But at the end of the day, it's what your gut is telling you to do. With a decision this important and this impactful on your life you have to definitely weigh out the pros and the cons like I did and then, at the end of the day, go with what you feel is best and what your gut is telling you. That's why I made the decision I did."
