Joshua S. Kelly – USA TODAY Sports
There’s no question that the face of the ACC in recent years has been Jameis Winston of the Florida State Seminoles. A Heisman Trophy winner in 2013 with two ACC titles, a BCS National Championship, and an unblemished regular season record to his name. But with Winston gone to the NFL, the ACC will need a new star to step up and carry the banner for the conference. Enter Deshaun Watson of the Clemson Tigers.
Watson carried plenty of hype with him into his freshman season in 2014 and delivered on it when he was on the field. In just eight games, including a few he didn’t finish, Watson threw for 1,466 yards, completing 67.9 percent of his passes with a 10.7 yards per attempt average and 14 touchdowns against just two interceptions. He also rushed for 200 yards on 63 attempts with five rushing touchdowns, establishing himself as a legitimate dual threat quarterback.
The issue for Watson is staying on the field. Three injuries in his first year at Clemson raise serious questions about his durability and he is spending this offseason recovering from a torn ACL but all indications are that he will be healthy for the season opener in September. You might see Clemson restrict how often they use Watson’s legs to make plays early on next fall just to keep their dynamic signal caller upright and on the field.
If he can stay healthy, Watson has a great chance for a monster 2015 season. The team’s top two wide receivers heading into the fall, Artavis Scott and Mike Williams, are first-team All-ACC candidates and the Tigers offense has shown the ability to be very prolific in recent years. All they need is the right trigger-man under center and Watson has shown the ability to be the perfect leader to get the Tigers rolling on offense.
With the incredible amount of turnover taking place all over the ACC, there is a definite void of star power heading into 2015. With a clean bill of health, Deshaun Watson has the skill to be a very special player and emerge as the face of the conference this season.
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