Deshaun Watson on Trevor Lawrence After Title Win: 'He's Gonna Be a Legend'

After leading his team to a national championship as a true freshman, Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence received high praise from one of the greatest players in program history.

"My man is a true freshman," Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said of Lawrence on Monday, according to ESPN's Ryan McGee. "He's got at least two more years to do work. He's gonna be a legend. He already is. People know that now."

Watson knows a thing or two about being a college football legend.

Watson helped Clemson win its first national title in more than two decades by leading his Tigers to a dramatic 35-31 victory over Alabama in the 2016 CFP National Championship to cap off an incredible career in orange and purple.

After his heroics in the championship game, Watson was selected 12th overall in the 2017 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.

Watson's place in Tigers lore is already firmly cemented. And while Lawrence's college career is off to an unbelievable start, there is still plenty of time for him to add to it.

Ranked as a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2018 class by 247Sports, the freshman found himself in a quarterback competition with senior Kelly Bryant to start the season. The two shared time under center early on before coach Dabo Swinney named Lawrence the starter after four games, leading to Bryant's transfer out of the program.

Lawrence had to leave his first career start on Sept. 29 because of a neck injury. After that, though, he began to show why his coach gave him the nod.

Lawrence completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns with just four interceptions. The 19-year-old proved he wasn't afraid of the big stage, either, as he threw for 674 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions in two College Football Playoff games.

He saved his best performance for last, as he torched the vaunted Crimson Tide for 347 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-point blowout for the national championship.

"From the time he walked into that building in January, just a couple of weeks removed from eating in the high school cafeteria, we knew he was the real deal," Swinney said on Monday, per McGee. "He was a leader, day one. And, oh, by the way, he can sling that dang football around, too, can't he?"

Lawrence has already matched Watson in terms of national championships. Now, he will have at least two more years to add to the trophy case.

Not only that, but after his sensational freshman season, expect him to be a Heisman Trophy candidate entering next season. Clemson has never had a player win the Heisman, although Watson finished second to Louisville Cardinals star Lamar Jackson in 2016.