Texas A&M quarterback says he idolized Clemson great
Let’s be real here.
Plenty of us are guilty of having a man-crush on Clemson legend Deshaun Watson.
We watched him take flight over an NC State defender as a freshman, the Clark Kent revealing-of-the-Superman-suit celebration that ensued, 478 total yards and four touchdowns in the 2015 Alabama game, and of course his iconic toss to Hunter Renfrow in the 2016 National Championship.
The Clemson faithful aren’t the only ones who fell in love with Watson’s game. Texas A&M starting quarterback, Kellen Mond, nearly chose Clemson over the Aggies because of the Tigers’ former star.
Mond was the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback out of IMG Academy in 2016. As a true freshman, he threw for 1,375 yards, 8 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in eight starts. He completed 17/25 passes for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns in Texas A&M’s opener against Northwestern State.
The A&M quarterback met Watson during his sophomore year of high school. He said Watson was a really good guy, a great player, and someone he looked up to.
"Deshaun Watson is one of those guys I idolized growing up," Mond told the press Monday. "(I try to have) kind of a similar style of play – being able to extend plays with athleticism but also throwing with great accuracy."
Aggies’ head coach Jimbo Fisher doesn’t like comparisons, but he didn’t mind that Mond said he tries to model his game after the Clemson great.
“I’d be all for that,” Fisher laughed in his Monday press conference. "What makes Deshaun successful in the few times I've been around him, first, he's a quality young man, he's intelligent, he studies the game and he's a great leader. All of those are great qualities of successful people. He would be a great guy for (Mond) to study, no doubt about it."
Clemson fans - along with the rest of the nation - watched Watson’s magical moments, saw him give his first NFL game paycheck to cafeteria employees whose lives seemed in ruins after Hurricane Harvey, and know his heart-warming backstory.
Don’t worry, Kellen Mond. You aren’t the only one with a man-crush on Deshaun Watson.