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Three-point stance: Clemson's talent, Watson's poise, 5-stars shine

Three thoughts from Clemson’s epic 35-31 comeback win over Alabama to win the 2016 national championship.

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1. CLEMSON FOLLOWS FLORIDA STATE'S BLUEPRINT

I called it. Yes, I’m bragging and no I’m not talking about my prediction that Clemson would upset Alabama on Monday night. I’m not even talking about my pre-season prediction that Clemson would win it all after falling just short last season. I’m talking about Oct. 5, 2015 (that’s right, not 2016 but a season and a half ago) when I wrote in this very column that Clemson reminded me that year of the 2012 Florida State Seminoles.

As we know, FSU went 12-2 that year, developing a young quarterback behind the scenes named Jameis Winston and surrounding him with a ridiculous amount of talent. FSU, as we all know, won the national title the next year. The same was happening in Clemson, S.C. early last season. Few expected the Tigers to win the title as FSU did, but there was something about DeShaun Watson that made me believe. And despite losing guys like Mackensie Alexander, Shaq Lawson and others, I knew Clemson would plug the holes with elite recruits as FSU did. I said at the time that “this is the window and Clemson is in the best position they have ever been in since the pre-BCS days.” and “they could win it this year, ... but it could be next year as well.”

Having to make predictions on where 17-year-old high school prospects will attend school is one of the hardest aspects of my job, so allow me to brag a bit about calling the first national title for Clemson football since 1981. I know Clemson fans probably don’t want to hear comparisons to ACC rival Florida State, but there are so many similarities between the 2012, 2013 ‘Noles and what Dabo Swinney built and accomplished in the 2015 and 2016 college football seasons. And like FSU, Clemson brought home the title in dramatic, last-second fashion.

2. WATSON WAS NEVER RATTLED

DeShaun Watson
DeShaun Watson (Getty Images)

I like Kirk Herbstreit. He’s a terrific announcer. He does an amazing job at ESPN and he’s always been kind to me, especially in my days learning the ropes of national television broadcasting in Bristol, Conn., in the mid-2000s.

But when he kept saying that Watson was “rattled” Monday evening, I kept thinking that he doesn’t know who Watson is and what kind of player he’s watching. Watson doesn’t get rattled. That’s why I still feel strongly that he’s the top quarterback in this upcoming NFL Draft and why I knew this would be a great national title game despite Clemson’s slow start on offense.

Watson can be flustered and he can be figured out at times, but that can be said for any quarterback. But to continually say he was “rattled” because he took a big (illegal) hit early from Reuben Foster and the intimidating Alabama defense that was looking to knock him around was either taking dramatic license or just misreading the situation.

I haven’t spoken to Watson since after his senior year of high school. But I’ve watched dozens of Clemson games and I know who he is from covering him as a recruit. I know his character, which has never been questioned, his leadership and his toughness. And I know this – he’s never been rattled on the football field to this day.

Watson finished 36 for 56 for 420 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 43 more yards and another score against the most talented and cohesive starting 11 defense I have seen in college football (yes, that includes Miami in the early 2000s). He led his team to two different fourth quarter come-from-behind touchdown drives to take the lead and he took some hits where it looked like he was hit by a car. But he was never rattled, not even close.

I can say this with complete confidence and Clemson fans know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s something at the quarterback called the “it factor” and as a scout it’s very, very hard to find and project. But Watson has always had it and we saw that on display Monday night. He was manhandled, crushed, propelled, helicoptered and abused by the Alabama defense, but rattled is not something he understands.

3. STAR POWER ON DISPLAY

Bo Scarbrough
Bo Scarbrough (Getty Images)

Hunter Renfrow is a great story as a former two-star athlete who walked on at Clemson and will now go down in the history books as a legend in the football program. But for those fan bases out there trying to convince themselves that stars don’t matter, give it up.

The amount of five- and four-stars who had an impact in the title game was astonishing. From four-star Jalen Hurts’ running ability to five-star Bo Scarbrough’s two touchdowns and key injury to five-star O.J. Howard’s huge block on one of Scarbrough’s runs and his wide open touchdown catch to five-star linebackers Rashaan Evans and Reueben Foster running down everything for the ‘Bama defense, the stars were everywhere.

From one-time five-star Mitch Hyatt (my bad we dropped him to a four) who did a very solid job on five-star defensive end Jonathan Allen all evening to four-star Mike Williams and all his huge catches for Clemson to four-star linebacker Ben Boulware at times calling out the ‘Bama plays before they were run, the stars were everywhere.

From five-stars Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence on the Clemson defense to five-star Tony Brown’s big early hit on Williams (illegal as well) and inability to get through traffic to make plays to five-star Deon Cain’s huge gains after the catch, you couldn’t wave a towel over your head without hitting a four- or five-star on the field Monday night. Yes three-star Jordan Leggett had some very crucial catches and three-star Wayne Gallman led Clemson in rushing and scored a huge touchdown, but the two teams I dubbed having the most talented rosters in football in late September of this year have so much talent because they recruit four- and five-stars as well as anyone else in the country.

So for every Hunter Renfrow out there that gives hope to kids who never got a look during the recruiting process, true fans know that without five-stars like Watson and the rest of the players I mentioned (and others), this would not have been one for the ages and these teams wouldn’t have split the last two national title games.

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