College Football

2016 National Champions: We will miss you Deshaun Watson

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:50 p.m. ET

Fansided, Anthony Messenger/FanSided via Rubbing the Rock

What a game. Deshaun Watson put on a performance for the ages against one of the best defenses in the history of college football. Through all the ups and downs, Clemson stuck together as a team to achieve the ultimate goal. 2016 National Champions! Here’s what we will miss about Deshaun.

Talent

Deshaun Watson is one of the most talented players to ever grace the fields at Clemson. In his three season’s at Clemson, Watson solidified him self as the best quarterback to ever play in the orange and purple.

Watson’s elite blend of passing ability and elusiveness as a rusher caused havoc across the college football Landscape. In the history of college football, there have only been two quarterbacks to finish as Heisman runner ups in consecutive season’s. One is named Andrew Luck, the other? You guessed it, Deshaun Watson.

One of the things I will miss the most about Deshaun Watson is his ability to be the same guy no matter the situation. It’s one thing to be the most talented guy on the field when everything is going right. It is considerably more impressive to be at your best when the game is on the line and your team needs you. The brighter the lights, the better Watson performs as he proved tonight.

Leadership

As I previously stated, Deshaun Watson is consistently the guy who makes a play when Clemson is in need of one. The common theme with this Tigers team is their composure. Clemson has been down against the likes of Florida State, Louisville, and N.C. State yet their confidence never wavered. The sense of calm on this football team is a direct result of the way that Deshaun Watson carries himself.

Dabo Swinney and his staff take pride in recruiting young men with strong character. Deshaun Watson may not be perfect, however, in his time at Clemson he has not done one thing to damage the reputation of his self or the University.

During his sophomore season, Deshaun Watson was responsible for leading a relatively unproven offense. Despite their lack of experience, Deshaun lead the Tigers to a National Championship birth and came 5 points away from winning it all.

There is no bigger testament to Deshaun Watson’s leadership skills than the job he has done this year. It is difficult to reach a National Championship in itself, however, to reach two consecutive National Championship’s is nearly impossible. Deshaun was able to keep the Tigers calm and focused throughout the season with one goal in mind. The Tigers achieved that goal tonight under the leadership of Watson.

Deshaun Watson as a person

Watson is arguably one of the best people in all of College Football. In the modern world of sports, student athletes are under a microscope. Unfortunately there are some athletes who repetitively make bad decisions. Deshaun Watson is not one of those athletes.

Watson uses the attention he gets from his performance on the field to inspire others. His charitable efforts have been well documented. It is not common to see a player of his status taking part in such humble pursuits.

Deshaun Watson’s personality is the thing I will miss the most. With Watson running the show for Clemson the losses stung a little bit less and the wins felt a world better. It is hard to dwell on anything negative when your starting quarterback is all smiles after the game.

Deshaun Watson was truly one-of-a-kind. I will miss it all from the interceptions, to the dancing, to the smiles, to the touchdowns, there is not a thing I won’t miss about watching Deshaun Watson trot down the Hill in Death Valley. Watson will forever be apart of #ClemsonFamily