@jamessweasy#NFL what a day for Jordan Watkins 🏈 #Football #OleMiss #Louisville #49ers #NFLDraft #NFLDraft2025♬ original sound – Sweasy
I was asked, and honored, to host a watch party for Jordan Watkins as he anticipated a call from an NFL team inviting him to be a member of their family. Which team? Who cares? We just wanted the damn phone to ring. Have to admit I was not expecting the excitement and anticipation this weekend would bring.
Jordan’s mother and step father, Paula Watkins-Baker and Austin Baker, have been friends of our family for years. I was in their wedding, Austin was in ours, we work in the same field, travel together, all the things !
A couple of months ago I receive a phone call from Austin looking for a little help planning out the draft party. We searched for some locations. It wasn’t really working out so he asked “how about your house” my response “uh, YEAH”! Are you kidding me ?
Fast-forward to April 25th 2025 the start of the draft. Multiple teams have been calling Jordan and we all knew he was going somewhere, just not exactly where. Could be round two, round three, round four, who cares to be honest we just wanted the phone to ring. rounds one through three take place on Friday and rounds four through seven on Saturday.
In the evening, Friday night, go time, I received a call from Austin asking if I wanted to meet his family out for dinner. We went to a local Texas Roadhouse. We sat in the bar area a big table surrounded by their family, watching the draft on a big screen. As I look around, I can’t help but think that Austin, Paula, my wife Alaina, and I were all in the same recovery program over a decade ago. I paused for a moment, looked around at their big family and thought to myself “man this could’ve went way different”. Jordan was given a spare cell phone that they called the “draft phone”. He had to keep charged and on him at all times in case “The Call” came. Seems like all of us were a nervous wreck, keeping an eye on the phone, hoping it was charged, driven by pure anxiety that something may be missed. Everybody except Jordan. This kid has nerves of steel. I asked him “are you nervous” his simple response “nah, I’m good”. A robust demeanor of hard work, faith and confidence was palpable. We finished dinner with Austin saying “well, I hope the phone rings tonight, but I’ll see you tomorrow, either way”.
Saturday, April 26, 2025 with the help of family friend Selena Coomer we start prepping the house as Austin and Paula are making all last-minute preparations and getting ready to head over. I received a phone call from Austin telling me he’s on his way to the mall to buy thirty-two NFL hats ,one for each team. I mean, you gotta make sure the guy has a hat to wear if a team calls right? Right! We all arrive, the house is fully prepped with Jordans family, former coaches and his friends from high school. His high school and college football helmets and jerseys hung around the room with food sponsored by Raising Cane‘s and all of the TVs tuned into the draft.
The party started at 1 o’clock, while everyone was having a good time if you stepped off to the side, most people would tell you they were a nervous wreck, keeping their eye on the draft phone. Everybody except Jordan, of course. There was one team in particular that everyone thought might be calling and at 2 o’clock PM that particular team only had one pick left. Jordon, ever casually throwing the football around in the yard with his little sister and Austin. I looked over to former University of Louisville Ladybirds coach and Thirty-two time National Champion, Todd Sharp and said “we really need that phone to ring in the next three minutes”. No sooner than I spoke Austin comes running across the yard with Jordan yelling “the phone is ringing , the phone is ringing”. Probably the first time in history that Austin has ran faster than Jordan. Jordan runs into the middle of the living room. The entire house goes quiet and every single cell phone came out as people hit their record buttons. To us, the call sounded something like this “ yes sir, yes sir, yes sir, thank you sir, thank you sir, yes sir everybody’s watching right now” Not a sound being made, Jordan hangs up the phone and leaps to his feet. “I’M A NINER, BABY” ! Grown men crying in every corner as the house erupts in cheer, what a day!
Thank you, Austin Baker, Paula Watkins-Baker, Jordan Watkins and family for a true, Once In Lifetime!
Go Niners!
~Sweasy
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