ANOTHER HONOR FOR TIGER QB …
Former Clemson University quarterback Deshaun Watson won the ESPY award for Best Male College Athlete on Wednesday night in Los Angeles – the first athlete in school history to be so honored.
Watson – who led the Tigers to the 2016 national championship – has been racking up all sorts of honors in the aftermath of his stellar collegiate career. The two-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Athlete of the Year also won the Davey O’Brien Award, the Manning Award, and the Unitas Award as the top quarterback in college football last year.
He should have won the Heisman Trophy, too, as far as we’re concerned …
In three years at Clemson, Watson posted a 32-3 record as a starter. Over his career he completed 814 of 1207 passes (67.4 percent) for 10,168 yards – throwing ninety touchdowns against 32 interceptions. The 21-year-old native of Gainesville, Georgia also ran for 1,934 yards and scored 26 rushing touchdowns.
Watson holds Clemson school records for completion percentage, passing efficiency and total offense per game – and is tied with former Tiger quarterbacks Rodney Williams and Tajh Boyd in career wins.
Watson is Clemson’s first ESPY winner, but he isn’t the first with a Palmetto State connection. In 2013, former University of South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney captured an ESPY award for Best Play in the aftermath of his seismic hit against Michigan’s Vincent Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl.
Clowney was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, the same franchise that drafted Watson with the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft.
***
WANNA SOUND OFF?
Got something you’d like to say in response to one of our stories? In addition to our always lively comments section (below), please feel free to submit your own guest column or letter to the editor via-email HERE or via our tip-line HERE …
Banner via Travis Bell Photography