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.

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.

Samford has averaged 49 passes per game this season, which equals plenty of opportunities for its receivers to make plays. Watson has capitalized.

"That guy, on the field, is one of the best athletes I've seen," Samford quarterback Liam Welch said Tuesday. "Once the ball gets in his hands, he's making one guy miss, at least. But off the field and in the locker room, that dude is a tremendous leader. He's on our leadership council on the offensive side, and that guy is just a competitor. I love being around him, love picking his brain and seeing what his thoughts are on each game, each practice every day."

photo Samford Athletics photo / Samford wide receiver Kendall Watson, left, makes a catch against Western Carolina on Feb. 27. Watson went to Samford three years ago as a walk-on player but has since earned a scholarship, and the former McCallie standout has already completed one degree and is working on a master's.

Watson has career totals of 72 catches, 952 yards and four touchdowns in his Samford career. Needless to say, he isn't a walk-on anymore. He's also a college graduate, having finished a degree in sports administration, and is working on a master's with hopes of going into the business side of sports.

He's one of three Chattanooga-area players on the Samford roster along with freshman linebacker Noah Martin (Baylor) and freshman receiver Deuce Flowers (Cleveland). Saturday's game will pit Watson against some of his former high school teammates, with UTC junior defensive lineman Giovanni Reviere, junior quarterback Robert Riddle and sophomore tight end Jay Gibson all McCallie graduates.

"There isn't a group chat going as of right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if one started," Watson said. "I'm sure we'll definitely be in contact with each other as the days get closer to the game, but we haven't got into it yet. I'm sure there's going plenty of it leading up to the game, and then after the game, we'll have to talk, too, because I grew up with those guys, so it's always fun to play against each other at this level."

UTC was never on his radar, and it will be 2022 before he finally gets a chance to play a college game in front of the hometown crowd, but Watson did have a career-high 129 yards on eight catches in the 2019 meeting with the Mocs in Birmingham. So while he may not have a figurative chip on his shoulder going into the weekend, that doesn't mean he won't embrace playing well against his hometown university.

"I know a lot of guys on the team, so it's cool being on the field with them and cool just being able to actually play against the school I grew up watching," Watson said, noting he went to a lot of UTC games growing up. "But once you actually get out there on the field, it kind of brings it all back around for you.

"I bet on myself and I decided to come here, and things have worked out for me up to this point."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.

photo Staff photo / McCallie's Kendall Watson (17) attempts to outmaneuver Baylor's Josh Green, left, and Gabriel Stulce during the Chattanooga rivals' matchup on Sept. 30, 2016.

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