Thinking Back on Watson and the Heisman
So, I was just kicking back the other day, thinking about college football seasons gone by. You know how sometimes a specific player or race just pops into your head? Well, Deshaun Watson’s Heisman campaigns came to mind. Man, watching him play for Clemson back then was something else.
I decided to actually go back and look it up. Spent a bit of time watching old highlight reels, just soaking in those big games again. It’s easy to forget the details, right? Then I started pulling up the stats from his time there, especially those two years he was really in the Heisman conversation, 2015 and 2016.
It’s kinda wild when you see it laid out. He was putting up crazy numbers. Passing yards, touchdowns, running ability – he had it all. And he wasn’t just padding stats against weak teams; he showed up in the biggest moments. I remember watching those championship games against Alabama. Pure intensity.
Here’s what really stood out when I looked back:
- He finished third in the Heisman voting in 2015.
- Then he came even closer, finishing second in 2016.
- Led Clemson to back-to-back national championship games, winning one.
- His performance in that 2016 title game win was just legendary stuff.
But, you know, he never actually got the trophy. In 2015, Derrick Henry had that workhorse season for Bama. And 2016, well, that was Lamar Jackson’s year. Lamar was just doing video game things that season at Louisville, totally deserved the attention he got. You couldn’t really argue against him winning it that year, looking purely at the stats and highlights.
Still, going through those old games again, a part of me really felt for Watson. Especially in 2016, after winning the national championship with that kind of clutch performance. It felt like he did everything you could possibly ask of a quarterback gunning for the Heisman. He was the ultimate leader and competitor on the biggest stages. Just ran into some historic competition, I guess. It’s just interesting looking back on it now, how close he came twice. That Clemson era with him under center was definitely must-watch TV back then.
