When Deshaun Watson enters his sophomore season with the Clemson Tigers, it’ll start with a bit of a different feel than what we’ve seen in the past. In previous years, the Tigers have entered the college football season looking up in the ACC at the Florida State Seminoles. This year though? Clemson has just as much, if not more of a shot to win the ACC crown than the Seminoles do. The reason for that is simple, it’s thanks to Watson.
While the Tigers boasted the best defense in college football in 2014, it’ll be more about the offense this year. Watson may be the most electrifying player not only in the ACC, but in college football as a whole. Not surprisingly, Watson enters the season with the eighth best odds to win the Heisman Trophy, at 18/1. The real question is, can the sophomore quarterback truly make that push and take home the prestigious award? Absolutely.
In order for Watson to win the Heisman Trophy next season though, it’s going to come down to whether or not the Tigers can dethrone the Seminoles and then go on to win the ACC. From there, it’ll simply be about doing what he did in 2014 all over again in 2015, while avoiding the injuries. Watson completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,466 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for 200 yards and five scores as well. Best of all, he tossed only two interceptions and put up these numbers in only five games where he received extended playing time.
Watson threw more than nine passes in only those five games, but during that stretch, he completed 72.8 percent of his passes for 1,391 yards, 13 passing touchdowns and all five rushing touchdowns. Essentially, when Watson was on the field, he was a force and he’s only going to get better heading into year two with a more experienced group of receivers and running backs.
Injuries are the concern for Watson, but that almost goes without saying. The freshman phenom missed five full games due to injuries, while having to leave two other games early, one of which the Tigers lost.
So to sum it up, Watson is not only poised to be one of the best players in college football, but he’s a player who you should be willing to bet on to win the Heisman. If the Tigers can run the table, they have a serious shot at the 2015 CFB Playoff. If that does happen, Watson will be at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race.
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