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Whenever DeSean Watts wandered out for University of Washington spring football practice, he turned into a game-show host on the spot.
As soon as he encountered teammates, this personable newcomer would break into a cheerful shtick, greeting people left and right, setting the tone for the moment.
"What's up, baby?" Watts said to no one in particular before the fourth practice began.
For practice No.
11, he was at it again when he arrived for stretching by bellowing, "Hey, hey, hey, got to warm up some bodies!" This stout Sacramento State transfer fit right in with his upbeat presence by keeping everyone loose and entertained.
This is one in a series of articles -- going from 0 to 99 on the UW roster -- examining what each scholarship player and leading walk-on did in spring practice and what to expect from them going into fall camp.
Unlike a lot of football newcomers to Montlake who shyly get in line and make connections as they go, Watts was more apt to trumpet his arrival.
"His energy is infectious," Husky defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said.
"You guys come see practice, you're going to know when he's out there.
He gets everybody involved.
He's always positive, always high energy." At 6-foot and 313 pounds, Watts brings a compact body to the Huskies, who were more than willing to take him out of the Big Sky even if he wasn't necessarily as tall as they like their down linemen.
"Obviously, what he lacks in size, he makes up for in strength," Walters said.
The step up to Big Ten competition hasn't proved daunting for him at all because of his mindset that he belongs.
"They're bigger, they're stronger, but you've got to want it more than the other guy," Watts said.
"The adjustment has been fine." Watts was so effective at Sacramento State, he was singled out as a first-team All-Big Sky selection after previously playing junior-college football.
Throughout spring ball, he continuously showed the Huskies bits and pieces of what he can do as a disruptor.
In the seventh practice held at the Seahawks' VMAC complex, he ripped the helmet off center Jake Flores in a one-on-one drill.
Two practices later, Watts took down 6-foot-2, 241-pound freshman running back Ansu Sanoe at the line of scrimmage for a one-yard loss.
"He's good with his hands," defensive-line coach Jason Kaufusi said.
"He's got good leverage." In practice No.
10, he deflected a Dash Beierly pass as he got upfield on the quarterback.
In the 12th practice, Watts was able to spin quarterback Demond Williams Jr.
around on his pass rush and then join in on the tackle of tight end Decker DeGraaf, who was stopped for no gain.
"He's pretty light on his feet when you watch him run around," Kaufusi said.
What's up baby? What he's done: Watts played just one season at Sacramento State, appearing in 12 games for a 7-5 team.
He finished with 36 tackles, which included 4 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
Before that, he spent two seasons in his hometown with Fresno City College, redshirting the first year and picking up 5 sacks over 10 games the next.
Starter or not: He has two seasons of college eligibility remaining.
He was an 11-game starter in 2025 in the Big Sky.
If called upon, Watts should be able to handle a first-unit assignment for the Huskies at any time.
Since arriving, he's been given even more incentive to be a focal player in Montlake -- his brother, 6-foot-8 LeJuan Watts, transferred in from Texas Tech and is pegged as a starter for the UW basketball team.
Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer.
His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time.
In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S.
Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.