Injury ends promising spring for Notre Dame CB Nick Watkins

A promising spring for cornerback Nick Watkins came to an end in practice No. 8 of 15, on Saturday.

The junior from DeSoto, Texas, suffered a broken left arm, specifically his humerus — the bone that runs between the shoulder and elbow. He underwent surgery Saturday night, per a university press release, and is expected to be available when the Irish start summer workouts in mid-June.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Watkins is competing for a starting cornerback spot. He played in 12 games in 2015, with his first career start coming in the Jan. 1 Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.

Watkins had eight tackles and a pass break-up last season after seeing action primarily on special teams as a freshman in 2014.

The Irish staged their first scrimmage of the season Saturday, but Watkins’ injury did not occur during the scrimmage portion of practice.

It’s the second spring-ending injury for the Irish, who earlier lost wide receiver C.J. Sanders to a hip injury.