Former Texas CB Kenyatta Watson II announces transfer to Georgia Tech

Former Texas Longhorns redshirt freshman cornerback Kenyatta Watson II announced his decision to transfer to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets after entering the NCAA transfer portal last week.

The Georgia product is returning to his home state after appearing in only seven games as a Longhorn, including the first three games of the 2020 season. Most of those reps came on special teams, with Watson receiving playing time at cornerback in the blowout win over UTEP.

Watson was listed as the backup cornerback on the Texas depth chart until the Oklahoma week, when he reportedly entered the transfer portal. Juniors D’Shawn Jamison and Josh Thompson have started at cornerback, with fellow junior Jalen Green also seeing reps. Lack of playing time likely contributed to Watson’s decision to return to Georgia.

A 6’1, 184-pounder from Georgia powerhouse Grayson High School in Loganville, Watson was a consensus four-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class who was ranked as the No. 131 player and No. 16 cornerback, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. A one-time Florida State commit, Watson held more than 40 offers when he committed to Texas in 2018.

The son of a former NFL player, Watson arrived at Texas as an elite athlete — he ran a 4.50 40-yard dash, a 4.12 shuttle, and a 45.2-inch vertical leap. As a freshman, Watson played in four games to preserve his redshirt, recording six tackles and one pass breakup.

With Watson no longer on the team, freshman Jahdae Barron saw playing time against Oklahoma. Freshman Kitan Crawford is also listed on the depth chart in place of Watson.