With guys like Jameis Winston and Duke Johnson moving on to the NFL, Deshaun Watson seems to be the ACC’s only Heisman contender this year.
Last year at this time, all anyone could talk about what Jameis Winston and if he could repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner as well as help the Florida State Seminoles win the national title. That seems like so long ago now as the Clemson Tigers might seriously be the favorites to win the ACC in 2015.
Winston has since left for the NFL and it seems like Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson has taken his place as the league’s top gunslinger. Watson, a true freshman last season, was an outstanding performer when he was healthy.
I say when he was healthy because the young quarterback missed five-plus games due to an injury and struggled to string more than one start in a row together in the second half of the year.
Heading into the 2015 campaign, the Tigers are considered one of the top teams in the nation, ranked in the top 10 by most polls, and Watson is a big reason for all the hype.
It’s tough to come to campus as a highly-touted four-star recruit, ranked the No. 1 dual threat in the nation, and live up to the outrageous expectations, but Watson has done just that in limited playing time for the Tigers.
Last season, senior quarterback Cole Stoudt was thought to be the clear leader of the team and a guy who could help the Tigers take down Florida State. However, his inaccuracy and inexperience was painful to watch as he lost his starting job before the first conference game.
Watson took over the team and didn’t disappoint, passing for 266 yards in his first start and 435 in his next with six touchdowns and an interception. The young signal-caller finished his first season with 1,466 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing an impressive 68 percent of his passes.
So does this mean he is the conference’s top Heisman contender? Not only is he the No. 1 threat in the ACC to win the coveted award, he’s the only player in the conference who has a shot.
Sure, you have guys like James Conner of Pittsburgh, Dalvin Cook from Florida State if he can make it back to the team, Georgia Tech’s Justin Thomas, Jacoby Brissett of N.C. State and Brad Kaaya of Miami, but none of those guys has a team around him like Watson does.
Every one of the guys mentioned above would be a Heisman contender if they had a serious shot to win the conference. Besides Cook, who may be off the team for the whole year, all of them are on teams sitting on the outside and looking in.
Watson will be the ACC’s only true contender as receivers like Artavis Scott and Mike Williams will show just why Clemson is starting to earn the distinction of ‘Wide Receiver U.’
Don’t sleep on the sophomore quarterback as he will help lead the Tigers to a College Football Playoff run on his way to New York for the Heisman ceremony.