McCallie grad Kendall Watson excels for Samford, UTC’s next opponent

Samford Athletics photo / Samford wide receiver Kendall Watson (84), shown during a Sept. 2 game against Tennessee Tech, has 29 catches for 332 yards this season for the Bulldogs, who will host UTC on Saturday. Watson was a prep standout at McCallie, and he'll face some of his former Blue Tornado teammates as the Mocs visit. Samford Athletics photo / Samford wide receiver Kendall Watson (84), shown during a Sept. 2 game against Tennessee Tech, has 29 catches for 332 yards this season for the Bulldogs, who will host UTC on Saturday. Watson was a prep standout at McCallie, and he'll face some of his former Blue Tornado teammates as the Mocs visit.

By Gene Henley October 20, 2021 4 min read

Kendall Watson’s phone didn’t ring like he wanted it to after a standout prep football career at McCallie.

So in the vein of an undrafted free agent, Watson set out to find the best situation for himself, discovered it at Samford and – much like all walk-on players – decided to bet on himself at the next level.

Three years later, he has found it was a bet worth taking. The Bulldogs have found that out, too.

The 5-foot-10, 183-pound receiver has already set a career high with 29 catches totaling 332 yards for the Bulldogs (3-3, 2-2 Southern Conference), who host the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (3-3, 2-1) at 1 p.m. Eastern on Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama.

Watson and Samford have become a perfect fit for one another because Bulldogs coach Chris Hatcher is a disciple of the Air Raid offense – he played under Hal Mumme and Mike Leach at Division II program Valdosta State and later worked with them at Kentucky – so his Hatch Attack favors throwing the ball. A lot.