Tight End Lincoln Watkins Commits to Kentucky

Score one for the Wildcats. During the final days of the open recruiting period, Kentucky secured a commitment from a talented tight end, Lincoln Watkins.

It’s a significant recruiting win for new tight ends coach Derek Shay. Watkins made a surprise official visit earlier this week. The trip to Lexington sealed the deal, paving the way for Watkins to pick Kentucky over SEC rival Florida.

“These coaches are nothing like I have experienced before,” Watkins tells On3’s Steve Wiltfong. “The culture is unmatched.”

Watkins is a 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete from Port Huron Northern, MI. Rivals ranks the tight end as a four-star prospect. According to the On3 Industry Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services, he’s the No. 591 player in the country and the 31st-ranked tight end.

Some of Mark Stoops’ most productive Kentucky Wildcats have come from the state of Michigan. Maxwell Hairston and Deone Walker were draft picks in April. DeAndre Square was a multi-year starter.

Watkins looks like a ball-player who can make an impact on Saturdays. He plays on both sides of the line of scrimmage for Port Huron Northern. Last season, he had 42 tackles as an outside linebacker. They asked him to tote the rock 39 times, but he spent most of his time split wide, catching 39 passes for 668 yards and scoring 17 touchdowns.

Since he’s primarily lining up as a wide receiver, you don’t see a ton of blocking tape, but it’s clear he can move bodies in the open field. In one clip, he has two pancakes on one kickoff return. That looks like the kind of guy Kentucky needs in blue and white.

Kentucky 2026 High School Recruiting Class

Player	Position	High School	Ranking
Jordan Crutchfield	CB (6-2, 195)	Vero Beach (Fla.) High	High 3-star (No. 416 overall)
Messiah Tilson	S (6-2, 165)	Rockford (Ill.) Guilford	High 3-star (No. 450 overall)
Prince Jean	WR (6-0, 170)	Valdosta (Ga.) High	3-star (No. 713 overall)
Davis McCray	WR (6-2, 190)	San Antonio (Texas) Cornerstone Christian	3-star (No. 1,053 overall)
Cameron Miller	T (6-5, 310)	Hammond (Ind.) Morton	3-star (No. 1,320 overall)
Max Mohring	LB (6-3, 215)	Malvern (Pa.) Prep	Unranked
Delvecchio “Deuce” Alston II	RB (6-0, 200)	Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.)	Unranked
Lincoln Watkins	TE (6-4, 225)	North Port Huron (MI)	High 3-Star (No. 591 overall)

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