Texas DT gaining interest

HOUSTON – On Friday evening on a big stage at Reliant Stadium, Nederland pulled off a huge upset, defeating Pearland Dawson, the No. 1 team in Class 4A, 22-19 in overtime.

Junior defensive tackle DeShawn Washington has been to two Texas A&M games this year.

The Bulldogs have one of the best defenses in the country and the most impressive player of that unit is junior DeShawn Washington. The 6-foot-3, 275-pound standout plays end most of the time and was in the backfield seemingly all evening.

After the game, Washington was ecstatic about the victory.

“This is the biggest game that this team has won in a long time,” Washington said. “I’m just so thankful that we were able to put all of our efforts together and play a great game. It’s a big win.”

Nederland had a 16-0 lead late in the third quarter before Dawson eventually tied the game on a field goal as time expired. It would have been easy for the team to get down but they held Dawson to another field goal in overtime before the Bulldog offense scored the winning touchdown on their second play of the extra period.

“We knew that they got the ball first so we had to stop them,” Washington said. “Things happen. We got some penalties and they had a lot of momentum coming from the fourth quarter but we stepped it up as a team and pulled it out.”

On the recruiting front, Washington is starting to receive attention from a few schools and he has managed to take in a pair of games at an in-state program this fall.

“I’ve heard from (Texas), Baylor, Purdue and Oklahoma State,” he said.

“I’ve been to two A&M games this year. They were amazing. It’s a lot like this environment here. There was a ton of school spirit and everybody was cheering for every play. It was a great place.”

Washington has had the opportunity to speak with the Aggie coaches and there has been talk of a possible offer.

“I’ve been talking to the coaches there,” he said of A&M. “They said they really like me and if I keep progressing and getting better that I can get an offer. I’d love that to have a chance to go there one day.”

Though Washington plays defensive end for Nederland, he will likely move to the interior at the next level.

“If I don’t grow another couple inches, I can play d-tackle,” he said. “I can make that move and I think my athleticism would help me on the inside.”