Clemson legend Sammy Watkins is embarking on a new journey in his football career.

After nearly a decade in the NFL after being a first-round pick, which included winning a Super Bowl with Kansas City in 2020, Watkins has begun his first stint as a coach, joining the staff at Ocoee High School in his home state of Florida. Watkins was named the wide receivers coach at the school in June.

Watkins’ cousin, Nate Watkins, who now serves as the quarterback at Ocoee, helped play a part in bringing Sammy on board.

Nate’s relationship with Sammy dates way back, with the two seeing one another at family functions over the years. However, after Sammy retired from the NFL, the two began to communicate more often.

“I have been close with him,” Nate told The Clemson Insider. “I was talking to him before he retired. Because I was going to transfer from my old high school and I was going to go to a new school. But we were looking for a new receivers coach, and I was trying to convince him to come on board with us. My head coach and Sammy knew each other too.”

Nate says Sammy’s addition to the staff has injected new energy into a program that is coming off a .500 season.

“I was really shocked because he’s a really, really, really great guy,” Nate said. “And coming off a 5-5 season, we needed somebody like that to bring our season back up.”

And it did not take long for Sammy to start making an impact. Not only with the receivers, but the entire team.

“We go to his house, we get on the phone almost every single night,” Nate said. “He calls us, and we just talk about life, football, we talk about games. We talk about everything. He is a great guy to be around. He teaches us the wrongs and the rights. The ins and outs of the game.”

“The guys love him. He’s had a really big impact on them. He is just pouring into them, and they love him.”

With Sammy being a former five-star recruit and one of the most sought-after players in the 2011 recruiting class, he also has a unique insight into the recruiting process, which is something else he can eventually help Nate with, seeing as he’s just beginning his own journey on the recruiting trail.

Last season at East Ridge, Nate got his feet wet as a sophomore, appearing in eight games and completing 15-of-23 passes for 229 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Now that he’s transferred to Ocoee, he’s expected to see a lot more action as a junior.

Nate worked out at several camps over the summer, including spending a day in Clemson, where his arm strength impressed everyone in attendance. Nate earned an offer from Samford with his performance that day. As he gets into his junior campaign and sees the field more, that list is only expected to grow.

“Oh my god, the coaches treated me like I was one of their players already,” Nate said. “Just how they talked to me during the drills. I loved the drills, and how they broke it down to me. I just love the Clemson campus in general. I love everything about Clemson.”