'Just thankful': Lincoln Watkins cherishes playing in U.S. Army Bowl
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PORT HURON — What a month it’s been for Lincoln Watkins.
On Dec. 5, the Port Huron Northern High School senior officially signed to play football for the University of Kentucky. A week later, he was named to the Michigan Sports Writers All-State first team for Division 1-2.
Those are moments that high school football players never forget.
But few get a moment like the one Watkins had Sunday, Dec. 21, when the star tight end played in the 2025 U.S. Army Bowl in Frisco, Texas.
“It was an awesome experience,” Watkins said. “Every single kid on the team is going to play Division I football … it was great to be able to play alongside those guys and see what it’s going to be like next year (competing with that level of talent).”
Created in 2001, the U.S. Army Bowl is an annual high school football all-star game that features 80 of the nation’s top recruits. This year, the event was held in the Ford Center at The Star, which is the practice facility for the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Watkins described how he felt “at home” while getting to know some of his fellow athletes.
“Being part of a culture of really good football players … I felt like I could really bond with those guys,” Watkins said. “Because our mindset was just so similar with what we want to do with our life — what we love to do.”
He was accompanied by his parents for a weekend of festivities, which included working with the bowl’s youth football programs, touring the Cowboys’ facility and meeting with military veterans.
“It’s a cool experience for me and my family,” Watkins said. “(I had) my entire family back home watching me (play in the game). Knowing that they were supporting me through that was really cool.”
As his college football dream nears, Sunday was the exclamation point of an extraordinary high school career.
“It’s one of the biggest honors you can get (as a high school player),” Watkins said. “I’m just thankful that it happened to me.”
Contact Brenden Welper at bwelper@gannett.com. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @BrendenWelper.
This article originally appeared on Port Huron Times Herald: PHN’s Lincoln Watkins ‘thankful’ for playing in U.S. Army Bowl
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