Jelani Watkins - Men's Track & Field - Arkansas Razorbacks

Jelani Watkins

So./So. | 5-10 | Sprints | LaPlace, La. | Atascocita HS / LSU

2026 (Sophomore)

Indoor: At Tyson Invitational, won prelim heat in a career best of 6.52, which ranks No. 2 on the UA all-time list to Jordan Anthony’s school record of 6.47 … Also moved to No. 2 on the UA all-time 200m list with a career best victory in 20.43 at Tyson Invitational … Made his Arkansas debut in the Razorback Invitational, posting times of 6.60 and 6.62 in the 60m prelim and semifinal, but did not run the final … Clocked 20.88 in the 200m to place sixth overall … Ran on Arkansas B 4 x 400m relay at Wooo Pig Classic that won in 3:08.65 with an anchor split of 47.12.

2025 (Freshman) | LSU

Outdoor: At the NCAA Outdoor Championships, earned first-team All-America honor … Only freshmen in the country to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the 100 meter, 200 meter and 4 × 100-meter relay in 2025 … Earned bronze at the NCAA Championships in the 100 meter with a time of 10.10 in the final … Finished 11th in the 200 meter at the NCAA meet with a time of 20.31 in the prelims … Qualified for the NCAA final in the 4×100-meter relay by clocking the No. 2 time in LSU history of 38.14 seconds in the prelims, which ranks No. 5 in collegiate history … Qualified for the NCAA East First Round in the 100m, 200m and 4 × 100 … Produced a career best time of 10.01 at the NCAA East meet, which ranks No. 6 in LSU history and was the No. 5 wind-legal performance in the NCAA for 2025… Added a career best time of 20.24 in the 200m to finish ninth in the NCAA East … Claimed bronze at the SEC Outdoor Championships in the 100m with a time of 10.02 in the final … Assisted the 4 × 100 relay to silver at the conference meet with a time of 38.43 … Placed sixth in the SEC 200m (20.28) … Second at the LSU Battle on the Bayou in the 100m with 10.01w and the 4 × 100 with 38.81 … Won the 4 × 100 at the Battle at the Beach with a time of 39.06 … Second in the 100m at the Tom Jones Invitational with a time of 10.03 … Won the 200m and 4 × 100 at the LSU Alumni Gold with times of 20.87 and 38.98, respectively.

Indoor: Competed in four meets during his freshman campaign… At the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, clocked a  career best time of 6.61 A, which ranked him No. 8 in LSU history … Won the 200m at the same meet with an indoor PR of 20.78 A.

High School

Graduated from Humble Atascocita … One of the top dual-sport athletes in the nation coming out of high school … Ranked No. 2 60m, No. 2 100m, and No. 5 200m in the nation in 2024, as-well-as a four-star wide receiver who ranked No. 5 nationally at the position by ESPN … A two-time All-American and eight-time Texas 6A State champion … 2023-24 Gatorade Player of the Year for Texas track & field … Won State titles in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x 100m relay at the 2024 Texas 6A State Championships … Clocked a career best of 10.19, which ranked No. 2 nationally among HS competitors and No. 23 in prep history … Also ran 20.60 in the 200m, the nation’s No. 5 time in 2024 … Anchored the nation’s best relay team to State gold in 39.14, which broke the State meet record of 39.76 set in 1998 by Fort Worth Wyatt … Anchored the Eagles 4 × 100m relay as they became the first high school foursome to run sub-39 in the event, registering a national record of 38.92 at the Rice’s Victor Lopez Classic to break a 26-year-old mark … Produced the No. 2 time in the nation for 60m at the 2024 Millrose Games with 6.68 victory.

At Klein Forest, a three-time 6A State champion in 2023 with victories in the 200m, 4 x 100m relay, and 4 × 400m relay … Claimed the State 200m title with a then PR of 20.54 … Assisted the 4 x 100m (40.01) 4 x 400m (3:11.69) to relay wins … Won 2022 State 6A title in the 200m in 20.78 and was a member of winning 4×200m relay (1:23.37) … Set career best times of 6.67 (60m), 10.19 (100m), and 20.54 (200m) in high school.

Jelani Watkins – Collegiate marks Arkansas | LSU

Career bests

Indoor

60m | 6.52 (No. 2 UA)

200m | 20.43 (No. 2 UA)

Outdoor

100m | 10.01

200m | 20.24