Golden Speed: How LSU’s Jelani Watkins Turned Redshirt Frustration into NCAA Glory
When Jelani Watkins crouched into the starting blocks at the NCAA East Regionals in Jacksonville, Florida, he wasn’t just racing against a field of top sprinters — he was racing against doubt, frustration, and the sting of an unfulfilled football season.
“It’s either me or them,” the 20-year-old LSU freshman declared. “So either you eat or you get ate — and I wasn’t trying to be the one that got ate.”
And eat, he did.
Watkins stormed to a personal-best 10.01 seconds in the 100 meters, the third-fastest time in the regional quarterfinals. Then, barely an hour later, he doubled down with another career mark — 20.24 seconds in the 200 meters — punching his ticket to the NCAA Championships in both events.
But the stopwatch doesn’t fully capture the story of Jelani Watkins. Behind the raw numbers is a rare-breed athlete carving his identity in a sport where confidence is everything and fear has no lane.
From Redshirt to Record Threat
Watkins’ journey to Eugene, Oregon — where the NCAA Championships will unfold from June 11–14 — is a classic tale of resurgence. He appeared in only two games during his redshirt freshman football season for the LSU Tigers. No stats. No highlights. Just silence on the field.
Yet, rather than sulk, Watkins turned that silence into fuel.
“Coming into this track season, I was kind of fueled up by how football went for me,” he said. “I wasn’t really productive. So that just kind of fueled me, to make me go harder.”
Harder meant faster. Faster meant history.
At 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds, Watkins doesn’t fit the mold of a typical college football standout. But what he lacks in size, he makes up for in sheer velocity — especially in the last 50 meters of a race, where his closing speed has become his calling card.
It’s no coincidence that when he was a senior at Atascocita High School in Texas, he anchored a 4×100-meter relay team that shattered a national high school record with a time of 38.92 — breaking a mark that stood untouched since 1998.
Golden Ink, Golden Goals
His tattoos tell you everything you need to know. On his left arm are two words: “golden child” and “one of one.” For some, they might seem flashy — for Watkins, they’re truth.
“I just think ain’t nobody else like me,” he said. “I just think I’m like a rare breed.”
And he has a compelling case. Watkins is the only freshman in the entire nation to qualify for both the 100 and 200-meter events at this year’s NCAA Championships. He’ll also run as part of LSU’s 4×100 relay squad, which finished fourth at regionals.
He’s not just surviving among the best — he’s setting the tone.
LSU sprint coach Bennie Brazell — a 14-year veteran on the coaching staff and former NCAA and Olympic athlete himself — saw the signs early. He first spotted Watkins as a sophomore at Klein High School and instantly knew what he was looking at.
“A generational talent,” Brazell called him.
That’s high praise coming from a coach who himself had to redshirt his first football season at LSU, just like Watkins, before eventually being drafted into the NFL.
“Sometimes football starts off slow for some guys,” Brazell said. “But it’s just a process. You got to be patient, and you got to have that mindset to continue working no matter what.”
Watkins has that mindset — fierce, focused, and completely unshaken.
Destined for More Than One Track
Watkins might be a track phenom now, but his long-term dream still includes catching passes in Tiger Stadium. Rated as the No. 28 wide receiver in the 2024 class by 247Sports, his football promise is just waiting to explode.
But for now, he’s not rushing it. He’s embracing the grind, the growth, and the lessons that redshirt seasons teach — especially the lesson of perseverance.
He also returned to Louisiana with purpose. Having left the state after fifth grade, his decision to come back and wear the purple and gold wasn’t just about athletics. It was about legacy.
“I wanted to be a hometown hero,” he said, referencing his idol, Odell Beckham Jr., an LSU legend whose name still echoes on campus.
Watkins knows the footsteps he’s trying to follow: Beckham. Justin Jefferson. Ja’Marr Chase. All wideouts with track roots, all now NFL icons.
And if his track speed is any indication, Watkins could very well be next.
Fearless on the Big Stage
Confidence is part of Watkins’ DNA. When asked how he prepares for races against the best in the country, his answer is immediate.
“I just don’t go into no race with fear, because you can’t,” he said. “You can’t fear no man. They running just like how you running. It’s either you or them.”
That fearless approach has earned him not only results, but respect. Brazell is confident Watkins will soon become a household name — not just in Baton Rouge, but nationwide.
“He’ll be an NCAA champion one day in track and field. Believe that,” Brazell said. “And he’ll be an NCAA champion in football. Keep the tradition going.”
The Golden Child’s Next Chapter
As Watkins boards the plane for Eugene and steps onto the track at iconic Hayward Field, he’s not there just to participate. He’s there to win.
Freshman sprinters don’t often make this kind of noise in their first year. But Jelani Watkins isn’t most freshmen. He’s unique. He’s rare. He’s one of one.
And he’s hungry.
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