When the term “most important” is given when describing a ranking of one player over another, it does not necessarily describe who the best players are on a team. Instead, it tells us the main or most important part of the team, without which it cannot really exist.
In other words, could Clemson have reached the College Football Playoff Championship Game last year without Deshaun Watson? And would they have had him there had those other “important” players had not been in place either.
Who are Clemson’s “Most Important Players” for 2016? We at The Clemson Insider have our own ideas, and today we reveal who is our No. 1 Most Important Player.
Deshaun Watson
Of course if you read our No. 2 story, then you already knew this.
As talented as Clemson was last season it is not unreasonable to believe the Tigers don’t reach the National Championship Game without Deshaun Watson. He is the straw that stirs the drink in the Clemson football program.
Without Watson, it’s a 10-win team that can contend for an ACC Championship. With him and Clemson is playing for a National Championship, and this year will not be an exception.
The question with Watson is can he get any better than he was in 2015?
The Heisman Trophy Finalist completed 67.8 percent of his 491 passes. He threw for 4,104 yards and 35 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. He ran for another 1,105 yards, while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. In all, he was responsible for 47 of the Tigers’ 69 offensive touchdowns.
See why he is so important to the Tigers’ success. Though I don’t think you doubted it.
But Watson can get better, and that’s important to Clemson as well. Head coach Dabo Swinney and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter want to see Watson get better as a leader, improve his footwork and accuracy, as well as handle the high expectations that will come with the 2016 season.
The Tigers will only be as good as how Watson handles it all.
Watson is not a vocal guy, but players gravitate towards him. When he speaks, everyone on the team listens.
“It starts with his accountability and working hard,” Streeter said. “He does that. He does a great job. He is all in. He has two feet in the boat. He is into this thing. He has the ability to get the other guys to do the same thing which he has done.”
What coaches always talk about in regards to the quarterback position is how it starts from the ground up. Streeter feels Watson can be more consistent with his footwork, which will help him be even more accurate than he was last season.
“If he is making the right decisions and is distributing the ball to our guys, which we have plenty of weapons, then things are going to go smooth,” Streeter said. “He needs to get focused on doing what he is coached to do and making good decisions.”
Expectations for Watson are higher than any player in Clemson history. He is the frontrunner to win just about every quarterback and player of the year award out there, including the coveted Heisman Trophy. But, Watson has stressed how none of that other stuff matters, and he wants to finish the job this year and win Clemson a second national championship.
Streeter and Swinney both said Watson cannot allow the expectations of the media, the fans and the rest of the country to affect his play, which, as they pointed out several times, he has handled well in the past.
“He doesn’t allow the distractions to affect his play because he is special and he is unique,” Streeter said.
—Photo Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports