Giving back is in Watson's nature

There is something else that make Deshaun Watson so special--a willingness to give back.

CLEMSON-- For former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson he has everything a kid from Gainesville, GA could ever ask for.

He led his former school's return to glory--leading the Tigers to back-to-back national championship appearances in the 2015 and 2016 seasons, winning the title in 2016--made two trips to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist and was a first-round pick in the NFL Draft and, in his second year, led his team to the NFL Playoffs.

But there is something else that make Deshaun Watson so special--a willingness to give back.

Whether it is with Habitat for Humanity, donating his first NFL check to three NRG stadium employees who were affected by Hurricane Harvey or returning to Clemson to host a youth football camp, Watson continues to strive to give back in ways that most people will never understand.

“When I was a young kid I lived in Atlanta so I went to all the Falcons camps and those NFL players inspired me just by giving me a high-five or throwing the football to me,” Watson said. “It gave me joy and motivation to where that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. So with the opportunity I have to be able to come back and do the same thing, if I can at least (affect) even one kid out of 450, I’m going to at least try to give them motivation to fulfill their dreams.

“Anytime you’re giving back, but especially to the young kids, the next generation, that’s where it matters, where it’s so big and where so much is going on,” Watson said. “If you can (affect) the next generation that’s coming up behind you to try to improve their game, their life in general, it’s all about love and that’s what you want to do.”

Watson returned to the site of his collegiate glory last week and was once again reminded of the love that the Clemson community has for a boy from Georgia.

“It’s amazing,” Watson said. “To see all the kids come out and all the parents that all want to be here with me, it’s a blessing and gives me so much joy that Clemson is still behind me and supporting me and it’s cool to try and (help) each one of these kids as I can.”

While he was on campus, Watson took time to think back to how far Clemson has come since he arrived in January of 2014 and what drew him to the sleepy little college town in upstate South Carolina.

“It’s a powerhouse,” he said. “I feel even when I was a freshman it was still a powerhouse. There were just some things we had to clean up and little details to lock in on and coach (Dabo) Swinney got it to where he always wanted it to be. As a freshman, that was the reason I came in, because the program was going north and it’s still going north, so each and every year has gotten better.”

If there is one person that Watson can relate to, maybe more than any other, it is sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence--who led the Tigers to their second national title in the last three years as a true freshman.

Lawrence, and his hair, have become the face of the 2019 college football season. With multiple services pegging Lawrence as the odds-on favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy and many services already naming him as the No.1  quarterback for the 2021 draft, Watson sees himself in Lawrence.

And it is that reason that Watson believes Lawrence will handle the expectations just fine.  

“He’ll just continue to improve (if he doesn’t) get comfortable, which he won’t,” Watson said. “He’s the type of guy who loves to work, loves to grind, and feels like he can always improve. And coach Swinney is going to make sure he’s going to continue to improve because that’s the same thing he did with me. I was always working at it so he’s going to be just fine keeping the right mindset and focus.”