It’s a new day for Boston College football.
One that doesn’t leave the program stuck in 2008.
On Monday, alum Kenyatta Watson – an elite recruiter at Georgia Tech, Florida State and Auburn – took over as the program’s new general manager. On Tuesday morning, athletic director Blake James announced huge financial commitments to the program and more resources as needed.
It’s something the fan base has been clamoring for seemingly for a decade now. Particularly in this Wild, Wild West college landscape, BC was a sinking ship, but now may have saved itself just in time.
“To meet the resource requirements of this new moment for BC football, philanthropic support will be critical. I am pleased to announce that Boston College has received a $50 million challenge to match on a 1-1 basis over the next 5-7 years new endowment gifts for athletics scholarships and operational costs (travel, nutrition, and medical care, etc.),” the statement read along with a vote of confidence for Bill O’Brien. “Details about this extraordinary commitment will be announced in the coming days. The University intends to launch a special fundraising effort separate from its existing Soaring Higher campaign to meet not only the $50 million match, but to add to it and raise even more new endowment to support BC’s Athletics program.”
On Tuesday, I spoke with Watson for about 10 minutes about the future of the program and his relationship with O’Brien.
“We’re both about getting BC to where it needs to be,” he said. “Bill’s a great guy. He’s an unbelievable football mind. At the end of the day, he has his amazing strengths and that’s coaching football. I have my amazing strengths of recruiting and evaluation. You want to bring those two things together. What better time to do it than now? Bill’s been great. This is his program, 1000%.
“He has a vision for it and how he wants to get it done. I’m just extremely blessed that I have the opportunity to carry out his vision.”
When it comes to recruiting, Watson is widely considered one of the best in the country, but, he’s also worked in SEC country and places like Georgia Tech and FSU that were willing to spend far more money. So, what’s the key to getting elite talent to BC?
“You just find kids that fit. Boston College is not for every kid,” said Watson. “At the end of the day, you have to go to class. You have to be present in the classroom. You can’t just…the student body is very important. You have to find guys that fit the criteria, first and foremost before we even start talking about football. The football piece is easy. I tell kids that all the time. Bill O’Brien for instance, he’s a great coach, he’s coached some of the best guys to ever play the game, he’s done it at every level as a coach, but you’ve got to make sure you’re bringing in the right kids.
“BC is a special place. I know what it takes, from being recruited there, from being a student there, from being in the student body. So, it’s a different place, but it’s a great place. It’s a place where you can thrive both on and off the field. You’ve just got to make sure the focus has to be on obtaining the right guys.”
As for why he took the role – like everything in life – it was all about timing. Watson was actually almost on staff a few years ago, but is thrilled to be back home now after playing for BC from 1993-1996.
“I was hoping the third time was the charm. I actually interviewed…maybe like, 2019, 2020 I think. And then, in 2021, I interviewed with Hafley, was going to take the job, but Florida State kind of…I was actually in Boston when Florida State offered me the job,” he explained. “They kind of beat them to it. And then, just kind of looking back over everything right now, man, it’s just perfect timing.
“I got contacted about potentially coming back home and you look at the team and the record, the record is not indicative of the team first of all, I don’t think. They play really hard this year, they should have won some really close games, but they didn’t. I’m just excited about the opportunity to come in and help us get back to where we were, being one of the top teams in the ACC.”
Being a ‘BC guy” isn’t just some phrase, it’s something former players continue to live by.
Watson is honored to have the opportunity to come back home and try to get BC back competing at a national level.
“The first reaction was like, ‘Wow, you get an opportunity to go back.’ There’s nothing like your alma mater. I don’t care what anybody says,” Watson added. “I’ve worked at different places and I’ve loved each one of them for different reasons. But, you wear their gear, you leave and go somewhere else, you take it off. Now, this is different.
“This is home. This is where I graduated from. This is where I became a man at. I was just like, in awe.”