Long before Deshaun Watson emerged as a national championship quarterback at Clemson and the Texans' first-round draft pick, he was thrilling crowds at Gainesville High School in Georgia.
Watson was starting ever since his freshman year of high school and became a Parade Magazine All-American who set state records with 17,134 yards of total offense and 218 touchdowns. The Gatorade Player of the Year in Georgia passed for 4,431 yards and 57 touchdowns with five interceptions as a senior, rushing for 1,057 yards and 14 touchdowns.
"He was special, a once-in-a-lifetime player and person," Gainesville coach Bruce Miller said in a telephone interview Friday morning in between teaching classes.