Kenyatta Watson Proud Of The Man His Son Has Become
Kenyatta Watson II is a standout 2019 defensive back for national powerhouse Grayson (Ga.), and he will embark on his first trip to Notre Dame this weekend with his father, Kenyatta Watson.
The elder Watson grew up with former Notre Dame running back, and current Irish running backs coach Autry Denson in Deerfield Beach (Fla.) before heading off to Boston College and the Dallas Cowboys.
Watson spoke to Irish Sports Daily about his son’s recruitment, the trip to Notre Dame and what makes his son a normal 16-year-old kid despite holding over 30 offers from the likes of Auburn, Boston College, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon Penn State, Texas, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
“We’re very excited to get to South Bend this weekend,” stated Watson.
For the elder Watson, it won’t be his first trip to South Bend.
Now, for Notre Dame fans, I will give you a warning, the next statement will bring back bad memories, but I will say it gets much better.
“My freshman year at Boston College, we knocked off Notre Dame when they were ranked No. 1 in the county the week after they beat Florida State,” said Watson.
“The biggest thing I remember was Touchdown Jesus. I thought that it was awesome. We came in a day earlier because our coach, Tom Coughlin, didn’t want us to be stunned by all the history and all that stuff.
“We got a chance to walk around and see things. It was pretty awesome. I still remember the weekend very vividly.”
Watson has spoken to his son about Notre Dame, and the four-star prospect is about as prepared as one can be to head to South Bend.
“The biggest thing we talked about was soaking it all in and enjoying the process,” explained Watson. “It’s a blessing. A lot of kids don’t get an opportunity to experience this, especially at a school like Notre Dame.
“Being there, being wanted and being recruited. I wasn’t recruited by Notre Dame coming out of high school. I’m living it through him right now, so it’s pretty exciting.”
Watson has an extensive football background, but now he handles recruiting at Grayson, and it’s a big-time job as the Rams send multiple kids Division-I each year.
“We had 32 coaches in the last two days come through,” laughed Watson. “It’s fun and exciting to see the kids faces and knowing they are going to get an opportunity to go to college for free. That’s just a blessing in itself.”
The father of the four-star prospect works in recruiting and combined with his experience as a recruit himself, is an invaluable resource as his son goes through the process.
“Kenyatta doesn’t like the recruiting process too much,” said Watson. “He’s one of the few kids that doesn’t like it. He wants to be a kid. He’s 16-years old and wants to play Call of Duty with his brother.
“I told him to remember that it is a business. We have a checklist for every college that we go to with our own rating scale. Location isn’t that important because he wants to get away, but we look at the roster, what the degree means after football and if he could see himself living there if he got hurt.”
Watson does encourage Grayson’s players to step out of their comfort zone during the recruiting process.
“I’m from South Florida originally and went to Boston College,” Watson said. “If I didn’t go to Boston College, I would have ended up at UCLA. I tell all my boys ‘Go away. See a different culture and get in a different environment. If you don’t like it, then you can always move back to Atlanta once college is over.’
“They can say they went away and saw a different part of the United States. Kenyatta has taken that to heart, and he wants to see some other stuff. That’s the one unique thing Notre Dame brings to the table. There isn’t one state or region that Notre Dame recruits. You have kids from all around coming there.”
When it comes to Notre Dame, the Irish coaching staff has made a positive impression and will have a chance to make a significant move this weekend.
“He’s talked a bunch to coach (Brian) Kelly. Coach (Mike) Elko had really started recruiting him, but Autry Denson and I are childhood friends.
“I like the fact coach (Todd) Lyght is recruiting him as he would be his position coach. A lot of times, you see a defensive line coach because it’s his area and he has to recruit the kid from the school. I like the guy that would be coaching him for the next three to five years is getting to know Kenyatta before the visit. That’s really important.”
The Todd Lyght factor is one that sticks with Watson as Lyght was a big-time name in the football world during Watson’s time at Boston College and in the NFL, but it’s also not lost on his son.
“Coach Lyght is a big guy like Kenyatta. He was a big corner. Everything he has accomplished, Kenyatta wants to accomplish. Having a guy that wants you and has done everything you’re trying to get done and at the school, he’s recruiting you at, that’s invaluable.”
The 6-foot-2, 180-pounder isn't looking at committing right now, but his dad knows he will make the right decision and a decision that will better his life.
“He’s such a good kid,” said Watson. “I don’t have any issues out of him at all. He just wants to work and train. He does things the right way. I’m beyond proud of him.
“Every dad wants their son to more than they were able to do. He’s stronger and bigger than I was, but I’m not going to say he’s as fast as I was. He can run, though. It’s been amazing just grow into the man he’s become.”