Former Clemson QB Deshaun Watson once shared his life-changing experience after Alabama loss & winning national championship: "It's big"
The 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship saw Deshaun Watson's Clemson Tigers winning the title against Jalen Hurts' Alabama Crimson Tide. The Cleveland Browns quarterback considers the game a life-changing experience for him.
After winning the championship, Watson would go on to get picked 12th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Talking about the national championship in an interaction with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Feb. 2017, Watson said:
"For the national championship, I knew we had the talent, the team, the coaching staff, and the passion to do it. It was that combination that lit the fire last year, and then a year later, we made it happen."
The reason the victory was considered huge was due to the fact that the Crimson Tide defeated the Tigers in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.
"This is huge because it's life-changing. Being able to really experience that is incredible," Watson added. "People say winning a national championship is just another game, which is true, but at the same time, your whole life is on another stage, another level. We had enough time to get another chance, and we capitalized on that opportunity."
Interestingly during both this CFB championship game, the Clemson Tigers were led by Deshaun Watson as their signal caller.
In the 2017 championship, Watson completed 36-of-56 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 43 yards and one rushing touchdown. This performance earned him the game's Offensive Most Valuable Player.
Dabo Swinney thinks he's a better coach thanks to Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson played three seasons of college football with the Tigers under coach Dabo Swinney. The duo went on to win the championship in his last season, apart from a couple of close finishes.
During an interview released in October 2019, Swinney shared that he felt Watson made him better as a coach.
"Deshaun may have made me a better coach, certainly makes me a better coach when he's on the field. But he made me a better coach by watching him prepare how detailed he was and also watching his poise you know, just incredibly poise, regardless of the situation," Swinney said.
"I think we can learn from being around people like that you talk about toughness and competitiveness."
While Watson had a great college career, the same can't be said about his NFL career, which has often been marred with injuries and off-field controversies.