In March of 2024, Braxton Watters started his teaching position with Sapulpa Public Schools. A graduate of Kemp High School in East Texas, Watters has experienced several programs as a football coach and is the current defensive coordinate for the Chieftains.
“I played my freshman year at Austin College, spent a year at Texas State, and then upon moving back to Oklahoma, graduated from Oklahoma State. In 2017, while attending Texas State University, I was a volunteer coach at Bastrop High School, a Class 5A school in the Austin area. I was our slot receiver’s coach. From 2018-2020, I was a Junior High coach at Jenks Middle School. I was the head coach at JMS in 2020. From 2021-2023, I coached cornerbacks and safeties at Jenks High School,” said Watters.
Growing up, Watters knew he would be involved in the sport thanks to the influence of his father.
“I grew up a coach’s kid, so I grew up around it. My father was an influence, as well as several guys that he coached on staff with at various schools. I have also been blessed to have some amazing mentors since I’ve started my coaching career,” said Watters. “I was blessed to work for Adam Gaylor in my time at Jenks. I would say he’s my biggest influence and mentor in the coaching world. You can expect to see multiplicity in the form of different fronts, coverages, pressures, and presentation. All that aside, I expect our defense to be the most physical unit on the field, no matter who we are playing. There is no substitution for violence on the football field.”
Watters teaches Advanced Weight Conditioning at SHS and believes teaching and coaching overlap in many ways.
“When you think about it, that’s all coaching is: teaching young men technique and scheme. The same things that make coaching enjoyable make teaching enjoyable: you get to see young people improve in multiple areas, and you get to make an impact on their lives,” said Watters.
This season Sapulpa has another tough schedule ahead, but Watters and the staff are confident in their players.
“I love how hard we play. We have competed hard and have forced multiple red zone stops, which is a big indicator of how good a defense can be. Mistakes are going to be made early in the season, but effort and physicality are often the eraser. They can make up for alignment or technique errors. That being said, I would challenge our guys to play even harder and more physical. Being comfortable is the death of teams, so we must continue to chase perfection, not only schematically but in our effort and physicality. We can’t lose the chip on our shoulder,” said Watters.
As for life away from the football field?
“I’m not very interesting — I enjoy watching ball and spending time with friends and family. I’m a big movie and TV guy, so I’ve got all the subscriptions. I’m sure my TV will go out before the year is up.”
