He played college football for the Clemson Tigers , leading the team to a national championship in After having a productive rookie season cut short by injury, Watson guided the Texans to consecutive division titles in and and led the league in passing yards in He also received Pro Bowl honors in each of his three seasons as Houston's primary starter. He is currently 11th in career completion percentage minimum 1, attempts and is sixth in all-time career passer rating.
In , Watson was sued by more than two dozen female massage therapists for sexual harassment and sexual assault. He attended Gainesville High School from the fall of and played for the school's Red Elephants football team. During his high-school career, Watson set numerous state records, including those for total yards 17, , total touchdowns , career passing yards 13, and career passing touchdowns Watson excelled in his junior year, winning a state championship and earning accolades such as Junior All-American , Player to Watch and Top Recruit.
Watson received offers from numerous colleges before verbally committing to Clemson University on February 1, Watson enrolled at Clemson in January During his high-school career, Watson had worn 4, but at Clemson, that number had been retired after quarterback Steve Fuller graduated. However, Fuller allowed Watson to wear the number. Watson was named the Tigers' starter on September On October 11, , Watson broke a bone in his right hand in the first quarter of a game against the Louisville Cardinals.
In , Watson led Clemson to an undefeated 12β0 regular season and a 1 ranking in the polls. Watson threw for yards and three touchdowns and ran for yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 45β37 win, Clemson's first ACC championship since The Tigers were selected to participate in the College Football Playoff as the 1 seed.
Watson threw for yards and a touchdown and ran for yards and a touchdown as he led Clemson to a 37β17 victory, earning game MVP honors. Watson threw for yards and four touchdowns in the game and ran for 73 yards in the losing effort, [ 31 ] though he surpassed the 4,yard passing mark. In addition to throwing for over 4, yards, he also rushed for over 1, yards to complete his true sophomore season.
