By Will Vandervort.

When he hears Dabo Swinney call him a genetic freak, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Thanks, Coach Swinney!”

It’s a humble response from a young man who is truly as humble as they come. But Watson’s recovery from ACL surgery—now at four months—proves Swinney’s point – he is a genetic freak. Watson is expected to be given the green light to work with the rest of his teammates when summer skills-and-drills begin next month.

Watson, who has said he is about 80 percent back to full health, says he does not feel like he is any different than anyone else coming off knee surgery. He is just doing what he is told to do.

“I have been brought up that way. It’s about just going to the next thing,” he said. “When something bad happens, it is always the next step.”

Saturday’s Orange & White Spring Game was the second straight year Watson watched the game instead of participating in it. He began his string of injuries last year with a separated shoulder in the last week of spring practice. He later broke his right index finger against Louisville, which held him out for three games, before tearing his ACL while being tackled by air at Georgia Tech.

The ACL injury forced him to miss the Georgia State and Oklahoma games, though he did play with a special brace on in the Tigers’ win over South Carolina.

“Being knocked down and trying to get up is something you have to go through,” Watson said.

“It’s football. People get hurt all the time. It’s really not anything that I can control,” he continued. “I’m just out there playing football. When you get hurt, it happens. When I get back, I’m going to go out there and play. My game is not going to change.”

Watson’s plan is to meet with athletic trainer Danny Poole this week and next and work out a plan on when the rising sophomore can begin working full-time with the rest of his teammates. The key is to make sure the Tigers’ starter is not over doing it.

“I’m not going to rush it or try to rush back early,” he said.

“Whatever Danny Poole wants me to do then I will go out there and try to do it and listen to my body,” Watson continued. “If I can go, then I will go.”

If Watson is a go, and everyone expects him to be, Clemson then becomes one of the favorites to make the College Football Playoffs. With three of the Tigers’ toughest opponents—Florida State, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech—all coming to the Death Valley they expect to be in the hunt to win it all.

Besides Watson, Clemson returns all of its skills players on offense, including wide receivers Artavis Scott and Mike William as well as running back Wayne Gallman. Defensively they have to replace eight starters, including a brand new defensive line and two new linebackers, but they feel good about the players filling those holes because they played a lot last year as well.

“We have a lot of talent around us and if we can come together then we can be very special,” Watson said. “That’s the goal. To go all the way and take that next step. That’s what we are going to work on this summer.

“We take each game the same way. We are going into each game to dominate. That’s our goal,” he continued. “We can go all the way, I think. Everyone is positive and really wants to take that next step. Everyone is excited.”