Auburn recruiting staffer Kenyatta Watson sticking with Tigers after talking with Notre Dame
Auburn director of recruiting research and strategy Kenyatta Watson has decided to stick with the Tigers, a source told Blue & Gold recruiting insider Mike Singer. The Notre Dame football program interviewed Watson for a key front-office recruiting role.
Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman and company eyed Watson to bolster their recruiting/personnel department following the departures of former general manager Chad Bowden and director of player personnel Zaire Turner. Bowden and Turner left the program for USC.
On Friday, Blue & Gold confirmed ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter’s report that Notre Dame hired Detroit Lions director of scouting advancement Mike Martin as its general manager. Freeman courted Watson for a separate position.
RELATED: Latest on Notre Dame’s reshuffling of front office
Notre Dame spoke to Watson about visiting campus last weekend as talks progressed. However, he never made it to South Bend.
Earlier this month, the Irish hosted Texas Tech general manager James Blanchard on a visit the weekend of Feb. 2. Notre Dame hoped to replace Bowden with Blanchard. But its efforts fell short as Blanchard decided to remain in Lubbock, Texas.
A source told Blue & Gold that Blanchard’s choice was not contingent on money or staffing, which were agreed to in principle. But “life events and timing” kept the rising star evaluator in his home state of Texas.
Blanchard decided not to leave Texas, where he’s spent all but eight months of his professional life. The Irish thought very highly of Blanchard, so they gave him several days to consider their offer. However, he still turned it down to remain close to home.
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Notre Dame’s talks with Watson never reached that stage.
Notre Dame football’s 2026 recruiting class is progressing well while Marcus Freeman vets candidates
While Freeman talks to candidates about coming to South Bend to strengthen Notre Dame’s recruiting and personnel operation, Irish director of recruiting Caleb Davis and assistant to the general manager Carter Auman have kept the program firing on all cylinders. High school relations analyst Deland McCullough II and coordinator of on-campus recruiting Becca Sites have also been crucial to Notre Dame’s recruiting efforts.
Notre Dame has the nation’s No. 11 recruiting class in the 2026 Industry Ranking Football Team Recruiting Rankings. Seven prospects in the current cycle have already verbally committed to the Irish.
Besides interacting with prospects digitally, recruiting efforts for Notre Dame and other FBS programs nationwide are limited. February is a “dead period,” meaning it is not permissible for schools to make in-person recruiting contacts or evaluations on or off the member institution’s campus or to permit official or unofficial visits by prospective student-athletes to the institution’s campus.
It becomes a quiet period from March 3 to April 14. During that time, it is permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts only on the member institution’s campus. However, no in-person, off-campus recruiting contacts or evaluations may be made during the quiet period.
The Irish expect to host multiple top targets on campus during the quiet period.
