Shawn Watson
Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks
Shawn Watson is in his fourth season at Nebraska and his third as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Watson has a proven track record as a successful offensive coordinator in the Big 12 Conference and has 27 years of college coaching experience, including three years as a head coach.
Watson’s balanced attack in 2008 averaged 169.8 yards per game on the ground and 281.0 yards and the Huskers' 450.8 yards of total offense per game placed the Huskers 12th nationally. Nebraska also ranked in the top 20 nationally in passing offense and scoring offense, finished second nationally in time of possession and were in the top 20 in the country in third-down conversion percentage.
In 2008, quarterback Joe Ganz directed Watson’s offense with precision and led an assault on the Nebraska record book. Ganz set single-season school records for total yards with 3,826 and passing yards with 3,568. Ganz threw for 25 touchdowns while completing 67.9 percent of his passes. The senior signal caller gained another 258 yards on the ground and five touchdown and finished his career with 23 Nebraska records.
Watson was promoted to offensive coordinator before the 2007 season and wasted little time making an impact on the Nebraska offense. In 2007, the Huskers threw for a school-record 3,886 yards, including the top three passing days in school history. Under Watson’s direction, the Nebraska offense ranked ninth nationally at 468.2 yards per game, the best average at Nebraska since 1997.
In his first season at Nebraska in 2006, Watson coached the Nebraska tight ends and was the recruiting coordinator. Among his proteges during his first year at Nebraska was Matt Herian, who finished his career with a Nebraska tight end record for receptions (65) and reception yardage (1,243).
Watson came to Nebraska after seven seasons on Gary Barnett’s Colorado coaching staff from 1999 to 2005, including the last six as the Buffs’ offensive coordinator. Watson was on the staff of four Colorado teams that won the Big 12 North Division, including a conference championship in 2001.
Under Watson, Colorado’s offense showed its flexibility and the ability to adapt to the Buffs’ offensive talent. Colorado ranked 20th nationally in total offense in 2001, and was only the third team in CU history to average both 200 yards rushing and passing. After relying on a ground-oriented attack in 2001 and 2002, the 2003 Buffs featured a prolific passing attack, ranking 18th nationally at 279.3 yards per game.
Prior to his time at Colorado, Watson worked for Barnett at Northwestern in 1997 and 1998, serving as quarterbacks coach for the Wildcats. Watson earned his spot at Northwestern following a three-year stint as the head coach at Southern Illinois, Watson’s alma mater.
Watson was named the coach at Southern Illinois after an impressive seven-year run as an assistant coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. At Miami, Watson tutored the tight ends for three years, wide receivers for two years and served as quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator in his final two seasons.
Watson’s first full-time assistant coaching job came on Mike White’s Illinois staff. Watson first served as a graduate assistant in 1983 and 1984, then worked with the offensive tackles and tight ends in 1985, before serving as the Illini’s wide receivers coach in 1986. Watson was a part of two bowl teams at Illinois, including the 1983 Rose Bowl team.
Watson began his collegiate playing career at Illinois in 1978, but transferred to Southern Illinois at Carbondale in 1979 and played two seasons with the Salukis as a safety. He earned a bachelor's degree from SIU in 1982, then served for one season as a graduate assistant with the Salukis in 1982.
Watson and his wife, Anita, have a daughter, Amber, and two sons, Aaron and Adam, a junior walk-on defensive back for the Huskers.
