TJ Watt

ABOUT TJ WATT

Outside linebacker who was selected 30th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers . He was a First Team All-Big Ten selection and a Second-team All-American in 2016 as a member of the University of Wisconsin Badgers. In 2021-22, he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award after tying an NFL record by compiling 22.5 sacks.

In high school, he was named honorable mention all-state and a first-team all-conference quarterback, linebacker and punter.

He was recruited by Wisconsin as a tight end and was rated as the #28 tight end and #11 recruit from the state of Wisconsin by ESPN.

He was joined on the Badgers football team by his older brother, fullback Derek Watt . His oldest brother JJ Watt became one of the top defensive lineman in the NFL. His wife Dani Rhodes played on the University of Wisconsin women's soccer team; the couple got married in 2022. In August 2024, they announced they were expecting their first child together. They welcomed their daughter, Blakely Marie Watt, in March 2025.

He was a teammate of Heisman hopeful Melvin Gordon during the 2014 season that he was forced to miss due to injury.