Clemson QB Deshaun Watson the Impact Freshman of the Week in his first start

It didn’t take long for Watson to validate the decision to give him his first start, as the 6’2, 205-pounder out of Gainesville, Georgia threw a 74-yard touchdown pass on his first attempt against the Tar Heels.

All told, Watson hit 10 different receivers on the day, with four of them catching touchdown passes.

Considered a dual-threat quarterback out of high school, Watson can make opponents pay with his feet, aided by his strength and balance.

Seeing Watson ascend to the starting job so early is just a continuation of Watson’s trajectory from high school. A participant in the Elite 11 Finals, Watson was a consensus four-star prospect who was close to earning a fifth star from the services. In the 247Sports Composite rankings, he was considered the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the country, the No. 4 player in Georgia, and the No. 42 player overall after starting all four years at Gainesville High.

As the rankings would suggest, Watson was a highly coveted prospect, receiving offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, California, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Tennessee, and others.

But Watson was locked in on the Tigers from early in the process, naming them his leader way back in June of 2011, when he had yet to enter his sophomore year of high school. Over the next several months, he took at least six visits to the campus and committed on February 1, 2012.

Unlike many top prospects who commit early, Watson never wavered with his verbal pledge and signed a financial aid agreement in November of 2013 before enrolling in January of 2014 to participate in spring practice.

The performance was enough for Swinney to name him the starter heading into the North Carolina game.

Since Watson rewarded that belief with a record-setting performance, how high is the ceiling for his career at Clemson? With his talent, the stratosphere seems like the appropriate answer.