Kenyatta Watson, a nationally regarded talent evaluator with deep ties to the Atlanta metro area and the state of Georgia, joined Georgia Tech football’s staff as director of scouting in 2022.
Watson came to The Flats from Atlantic Coast Conference rival Florida State, where he served as the Seminoles’ director of player relations for nine months from July 2021-March 2022. In his role at Georgia Tech, he will be heavily involved in the Yellow Jackets’ recruiting efforts, evaluating both high school student-athletes and those that have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal. He will also oversee Tech’s relationships with professional football scouts.
Prior to joining Florida State’s staff in July 2021, Watson spent more than a decade developing youth and high-school football talent in the Atlanta metro area. Most notably, from 2014-18, he served as director of football operations and recruiting for the ultra-successful football program at nearby Grayson H.S. (Loganville, Ga.). During his five years at Grayson, he helped nearly 120 football student-athletes earn collegiate scholarships.
Additionally, he has served as coordinator for the Under Armour Middle School All-American Game and the UA Next Middle School Camp Series, as well as director of the adidas Middle School Showcase, the Rivals NextGen Showcase, MVP Middle School Showcase and Elite Talent Middle School Football Showcase. His vast resume also includes developing and overseeing the Coach K Middle School Showcase for top sixth-through-eighth graders from across the country in 2017 and founding the Gwinnett Chargers youth football organization in 2010, a nationally prominent program that featured nearly 500 players by its third year.
Watson was a wide receiver/return specialist at Boston College from 1993-96. He caught 93 passes for 1,215 yards, amassed a total of 2,252 return yards and scored eight total touchdowns over the course of 40 games at BC. He remains one of the top punt returners in Big East Conference history, ranking among the league’s top 10 all-time with 84 punt returns (second), 816 punt-return yards (sixth) and two punt-return touchdowns (ninth). He led the Big East and ranked second nationally with two punt-return touchdowns as a junior in 1995.
A Deerfield Beach, Fla. native, Watson earned a bachelor’s degree in communications with a minor in marketing from Boston College in 1996. His son, Kenyatta II, is a defensive back at Georgia Tech.
