Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson says best high school football is played in Georgia

Video: Deshaun Watson talks prep football
Recently-drafted Texans quarterback can rattle off every play and player from days at Gainesville (Ga.).

LOS ANGELES — Deshaun Watson, who won an ESPY Wednesday as best male college athlete, makes no bones about it: The best high school football is played in Georgia.

Those words carry great significance considering he's now playing professionally for the Houston Texans. The soft-spoken Georgia native is loyal to the bone.

The Clemson All-American and two-time Manning Award winner, who led the Tigers to a national championship in January, told MaxPreps at the Gatorade Athlete of the Year Awards in Los Angeles that he remembers every moment of his days at Gainesville (Ga.).

In high school, Watson broke career marks for total yards (17,134), total touchdowns (218), passing yards (13,077) and passing touchdowns (155). He had no idea, however, that he was a record-setter at the time.

"I was just totally focused on playing," Watson said. "I didn't find out until my coach made my highlight tape and put all of them on there."



But virtually all of them are about to be broken by the country's No. 2 overall recruit Trevor Lawrence of Cartersville. Watson has a surprising response to that along with other topics covered in the four-minute interview.

Watson was one of several presenters for the event in addition to Aaron Rodgers, Karl-Anthony Towns, Christian McCaffrey, D'Angelo Russell, April Ross, Abby Wambach and Tamika Catchings.

Olympic track and field standout Sydney McLaughlin and baseball pitcher MacKenzie Gore were picked as Gatorade National Athlete of the Year winners in the lavish ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Marina Del Rey that honored 12 of the nation's top high school athletes.