Instead, Izzo left the former first-team all-region high school baller completely bewildered. 

“I couldn't really believe it; I was shocked,” Watkins said. “It turned from a regular Tuesday to one of those defining moments in your life.”

Before that meeting, Watkins didn't know becoming a walk-on for MSU was even plausible. 

“There’s no possibility of being a walk-on; that doesn't really happen," Watkins said. 

The team needed to fill one roster spot after signing transfer center Anton Bonke. Now, it’ll be fulfilled by Watkins after serving for three years as one of the team's managers. 

Watkins has made the 15 students that lead as basketball team managers his family over the years. The group is always some of the first in and last out at practice. That dedication was a big part of him making it to a position that is rarely afforded to managers. 

“The managers work really, really hard," Watkins said. "A lot of people don't see that because they're not getting any of the attention. They are one of the reasons that we have a great basketball program.”

Since his high school days as a point guard in Perrysburg, Ohio, Watkins has always had a passion for leadership and showing up for his teammates. In East Lansing, he’ll shift from providing that support through grabbing rebounds and coordinating practices to a real role on the active roster.

“As a manager, you're not on the court; you're not battling with them every single day,” Watkins said. “I've been good friends with the team for the past three years, and so I have a good relationship with them, and that makes it a lot easier.”

Out of high school, Watkins knew basketball wouldn’t follow him for the rest of his life. He had offers to play NCAA Division III basketball at a handful of schools in the Midwest, including Albion College, 45 miles south of East Lansing. Instead, Watkins headed to MSU’s College of Engineering, where he will graduate with a degree in computer science next spring.  

After he graduates on the Breslin Center floor, Watkins hopes to earn a spot on an NBA roster — just not as an athlete. His dream job is working as a data analyst for an NBA team, Watkins said, scavenging through metrics to give the team a leg up.

Watkins' expertise in the film room and on the scout team will be the glue for the 2026-27 team eyeing a Final Four push. For the next 10 months, though, his job won’t be easy. Watkins knows this. 

This fall, MSU brings in the nation’s No. 7 recruiting class led by guards Carlos Medlock Jr.  and Jasiah Jervis, forward Julius Avent and center Ethan Taylor. The incoming players hope to rebuild the team after it lost five seniors to graduation and former guard Divine Ugochukwu transferred to Louisiana State University. 

Returning is the bulk of the team's scoring. Jeremy Fears Jr. is poised to be one of the nation’s top point guards again; Coen Carr continues to improve his playmaking in the off-season; sophomores Jordan Scott and Cam Ward will see improved minutes as Kaleb Glenn returns from a season-ending knee injury.

This all means limited minutes for the walk-on Watkins, but he’s confident he’ll find his greatest success in support of the team.

“I'm looking forward to, throughout the year, being able to help these guys and share the floor with them, because they're great competitors, and I learn a lot from them,” Watkins said.

Adjusting to the speed of Big Ten basketball will be the biggest challenge in competing with the others, Watkins said. He and the rest of the MSU roster are currently playing in the Moneyball Pro-Am held at Holt High School. The event has become a staple every summer for MSU players to hone in on their skills and give back to the community. 

Before he knew he’d be playing for the MSU team, Watkins was an integral part of the managers' basketball team. The night before every Big Ten game, the managers of the two opposing schools play a highly competitive, organized game on the team's home court. Playing in these games gave Watkins a real sense of community and family at MSU. 

“Everyone is family in that building, and it shows on the court with how our guys play,” Watkins said. “That's how the entire program is. We're hard-nosed, we're going to get down, dirty and gritty, and we're going to work super, super hard, and we're going to do it together. That's Michigan State basketball.”