Kentucky looking to bring in RB Duke Watson for visit following decommitment

On May 12, Duke Watson announced his decommitment from Georgia Tech. Four days later, Kentucky football coaches Liam Coen (offensive coordinator) and Jay Boulware (running backs) made the trip to Forsyth, GA to personally extend Watson a scholarship offer.

Watson is one of the top running backs available from the class of 2024. He’s considered a four-star recruit and grades out as the No. 368 overall rising senior in the country, per the On3 Industry Ranking. The 6-foot, 185-pound ball carrier was committed to Georgia Tech for roughly two months before reopening his recruitment. Plenty of suitors have already come calling with Kentucky the most recent to pull the trigger on an offer.

“I’ve been hearing from (Kentucky) for a while now actually,” Watson told KSR on Tuesday. “We’ve been talking. I was kinda expecting (the offer). They’ve been asking me to get up there before but it was kinda a surprise at the same time.”

🙏🏾Great way to start the morning ❗️@UKFootball offered @LiamCoen
Thank You! @On3Recruits @RecruitGeorgia @deucerecruiting @Alex_B2C pic.twitter.com/kT3A3sCiBU

— Duke Watson (@Duke2_smooth) May 16, 2023

Coen was the one who officially extended the offer on Kentucky’s behalf, but Boulware is the one staying in touch the most. This wasn’t the first time that the latter came to visit Watson at Mary Persons (GA) High School either. Now the Wildcat coaches are looking for Watson to return the favor with a trip to Lexington.

“They’re definitely trying to get me up on a visit. We’re still working on a date,” Watson said, adding that he watched plenty of Chris Rodriguez‘s tape during his record-setting career at UK. That visit could come in early June.

So far, Penn State is the only school with a locked-in date for an official visit for Watson, which is set for the weekend of June 9. That OV was actually set up less than a week before he even committed to the Yellow Jackets. Watson confirmed with KSR that the trip is still a go.

Along with the Nittany Lions, Watson is also hearing from the likes of Georgia, Ole Miss, NC State, Central Florida, Minnesota, Kansas, and Mississippi State since backing off his commitment with Georgia Tech. He unofficially visited Alabama and NC State in April, as well.

“I just really feel like I’m an SEC, Big Ten running back,” he added.

During his junior season at Mary Persons, Watson totaled nearly 1,700 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 200 carries (8.3 YPC). He also ran track throughout his high school career but will focus solely on football for his final season before heading off to college. Watson says a final decision will come before he begins his senior year this fall.