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Earning His Stripes: Why Deshaun Watson Is College Football’s King

By Eric Robinson

Oct 24, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) warms up before a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2015; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) warms up before a game against the Miami Hurricanes at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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An important step was taken by Deshaun Watson, the junior quarterback out of Gainesville, Georgia during the 2015 season: a big time player stepped up in big time games.

Thanks to that capability, Watson guided a talented Clemson Tigers team to the brink of an undefeated, national championship season in 2015. Even with the amount of talent surrounding Watson, he was the biggest piece to the puzzle and at times, it clearly showed. His 404 total yards of offense against the Florida State Seminoles help defeat the Tigers biggest hurdle on their way to the ACC championship. Speaking of ACC title games, Watson posted 420 total yards and five touchdowns as the quarterback and his squad captured the conference championship.

During the national championship, Watson had arguably his best game of the season as he tossed for 405 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another 73 yards against the 3rd ranked defense in the country in Alabama. Thanks to his outstanding play, the Tigers were down five with under five minutes to go but ultimately fell short, 45-40.

Now he enters the 2016 season with heightened expectations and even more attention. If last season was any indication, not only is the attention well-deserved, but it is also met with his calm demeanor and a warm smile.

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“Watson is a dynamic dual-threat and he’s shown the ability to completely take over a football game“. – Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah, NFL Network

NFL circles have definitely taken notice and Watson can very well find himself as the first overall selection in next year’s draft, if he declares of course. Outside of the fact that Watson orchestrated that impressive season as a full-time starter for the first time as a true starter, but he did it without his incredibly talented receiver in Mike Williams, who missed all but one quarter of the season due to a devastating neck injury. Now Williams returns to give the offense a DeAndre Hopkins-like playmaker.

Even the five-time national champion head coach in Nick Saban gave Deshaun Watson incredible praise. Saban has recently gone on record to say that Watson is the best player in college football “since Cam Newton”. Incredible praise from a guy who has coached Julio Jones, Trent Richardson, and Amari Cooper in that time span.

Dec 5, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney (R) celebrates with quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) after a score a touchdown during the third quarter in the ACC football championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney (R) celebrates with quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) after a score a touchdown during the third quarter in the ACC football championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports /

In an era where some quarterbacks easily lose focus, Watson has made the strides that you won’t necessarily see on Saturdays. Adding an extra 15 pounds of bulk to withstand the inevitable pounding at the quarterback spot, taking out a large insurance policy to secure his professional future, setting himself up to graduate after the end of this fall semester of his junior year at Clemson.

It’s Deshaun Watson’s world. We’re just living in it.

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