Advanced
Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 4 | 736th / 2758 |
| Tackles for loss | 4 | 322nd / 2112 |
| Run stops | 14 | 444th / 3422 |
| Sacks | 1 | — |
| Pass breakups | 0 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 21 | — |
Charting
Where Watson's plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
Career
3 seasons since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far |  Duke#39 · 6-2 | 7 | 38% | 21 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2025 | Duke#44 · 9-5 | 11 | 24% | 14 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2024 | Duke#53 · 9-4 | 7 | 10% | 7 | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Preston Watson's team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Game Log
Preston Watson's box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
| Defense | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk | Opponent | Result | Game score | Tkl | Solo | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | TD |
| 1 |  Tulane | W 17–3 | 7.0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 2 | @ Illinois | W 31–27 | 5.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 3 |  Stanford | W 35–7 | — | no stats recorded | |||||||
| 4 |  William & Mary | W 62–7 | 5.9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 6 | @ Georgia Tech | L 25–28 | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 7 |  North Carolina | L 20–24 | 9.1 | 8 | 2 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 8 | @ Virginia | W 19–16 | 5.9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | · | · |
| 9 |  Boston College | W 47–2 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | · | · |
| 2026 · 7 games | 6.3 | 21 | 9 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | · | · | ||
2026 Season Stats
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 21 | 1232nd / 5664 |
| Solo | 9 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 3.5 | 470th / 2634 |
| Sacks | 1 | 620th / 1383 |
| QB hurries | 1 | 780th / 1549 |
| Passes defended | 0 | — |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Snaps by Game
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Tulane | ✓ DT | 54 | ~31 (12–49) | 4 | 57% |
| Wk 2 · Illinois | ✓ DT | 68 | ~34 (13–54) | 2 | 50% |
| Wk 3 · Stanford | ✓ DT | 71 | · | · | — |
| Wk 4 · William & Mary | ✓ DT | 49 | ~25 (10–39) | 3 | 51% |
| Wk 6 · Georgia Tech | — | 57 | ~13 (6–20) | 1 | 23% |
| Wk 7 · North Carolina | ✓ DT | 64 | ~50 (25–63) | 8 | 78% |
| Wk 8 · Virginia | — | 77 | ~34 (13–54) | 3 | 44% |
| Season | 5 GS | 486 | 187 (119–240) | 21 | 38% |
Position Room
17 DLs on the Duke roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Tyshon Reed | DE | JR | 23 | 7 | 3 | — | 1 |
| 12 | Bryce Davis | DE | SO | 21 | 5 | 3 | — | 2 |
| 95 | Preston Watson | DT | JR | 21 | 3.5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 18 | Kobe Smith | DE | SO | 14 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 |
| 55 | Julius Columbus | DT | FR | 14 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 |
| 91 | Owen Wafle | DT | SO | 13 | 1.5 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 15 | Kevin O'Connor | DE | JR | 9 | 4.5 | 4.5 | — | 0 |
| 44 | David Anderson | DT | JR | 8 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 43 | Semaj Turner | DE | SO | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 93 | Sampson Onuoha | DE | FR | 5 | 1 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
| 99 | Dakota Quinonez | DT | SR | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 50 | Chadwicke Cannon Jr. | DT | FR | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 0 |
| 90 | Tommy Rupley | DE | FR | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 13 | Obinna Umeh | DE | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 |
| 98 | Jaylen Carl | DE | SO | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 88 | Bariate Kara | DT | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 97 | Ayden Cain | DT | FR | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Duke depth chart →