Saturday, June 1, 2013
5-star QB Deshaun Watson talks about secret visit
By Michael Carvell
Deshaun Watson, the nation?s No. 1 prospect at quarterback, finally talked about his secret visit to Auburn.
Watson is a longtime Clemson commitment, and his clandestine trip to Auburn last week created a lot of excitement -- and tension -- between fans from both schools on message boards and Twitter.
?It?s a nice campus," Watson said on Saturday. "It?s like every other SEC school, but it doesn?t change my commitment with Clemson. I?m still committed to Clemson."
How did it go at Auburn? ?They just showed me the campus (at Auburn), and the offense a little bit. They showed me what Auburn was about. That?s what we did.?
Watson said he got to spend a lot of time with Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. ?They?re cool guys, especially Gus. He was showing me all the quarterbacks (he?s coached). It was pretty cool to see the offense, and what they?re about.?
The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder from Gainesville High School initially denied that he visited Auburn because he didn't want to disappoint Clemson, but later told the Tigers.
?(I felt bad) just a little bit (for visiting) without telling the Clemson coaches,? Watson said. ?Everything went kind of downhill. I talked to Coach Swinney and Coach Morris about it. You know, they were fine with it. They (said) to make sure to let them know beforehand (if I visit somewhere else again).?
What else did Clemson say? ?They were talking about (the visit),? Watson said. ?I told them everything that I went through. They told me to stay strong and that was about it.?
Like with all elite prospects, Watson will be pursued by other colleges, most notably Auburn and Ohio State, until February?s signing day. Alabama, UGA, and Oregon are also in the mix.
Can Watson definitively say that he?s finished with visits? ?Yes sir, right now, I?m done with visits.?
When the 5-star prospect was asked why he thought an unofficial visit in May created such a buzz, he shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I really don't know why ... I guess that's just how Clemson fans or any fans are."
