Clemson Football: 5 Tigers who outplayed their star-ratings

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Isaiah Simmons #11 and Austin Bryant #7 of the Clemson Tigers celebrate after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. Clemson defeated Notre Dame 30-3. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

4 of 6

SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 07: Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins of the Houston Texans look on prior to the CFP National Championship between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers presented by AT&T at Levi’s Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)-star pr /

3. Deshaun Watson, 4-star

It’s amazing to think about, but Deshaun Watson wasn’t a 5-star prospect coming out of high school. Now, it’s tough to put him too high on the list because Watson was the consensus No. 1 overall dual-threat quarterback, but it astounds me that he wasn’t a 5-star prospect.

Watson wasn’t even a top-50 player, according to 247 sports, in the class of 2014 player rankings.

He was the No. 81 overall player in the nation. Guys like Jerrod Heard, Clayton Thorson, Will Grier, David Cornwell and Keller Chryst were all quarterbacks ranked ahead of him.

In that respect, I think you can put him No. 1 on this list.

I mean, Deshaun did lead the Tigers to a National Championship and finish as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy two years in a row.

Either way you look at it, he certainly was vastly underrated to be considered a 4-star.

Home/Clemson Football