When it comes to the game of football, there's certainly some tension between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers. After all, the two powerhouses have played each other in the last four years of the College Football Playoff. But when it comes to life, players and coaches from both sides have a ton of respect for their bitter enemy.
The latest example has nothing to do with any game. It has everything to do with the journey ahead. Former Clemson and current Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson knows plenty about both and wanted to share some advice with former Alabama running back Josh Jacobs, who will undoubtedly hear his name called this week during the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville.
Using social media, Watson, who won the 2016 CFP national title over the Crimson Tide, offered up inspiration for Jacobs before he officially becomes a member of the National Football League.
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The music. The positive message. The footage. All of it was just perfect.
"What's good, Josh. It's Deshaun. Man, I know what you're going through. You know, sometimes you get a great hand. And other times, you don't. Living in your dad's car. Always on the move. You played the hand you had and it paid off. The cards are about to be dealt again, Josh. This is your time, my dog."
— Houston Texans Quarterback Deshaun Watson
The hand dealt to the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Jacobs was far from conventional. He lived in the back seat of his father's car. He wasn't heavily recruited out of McClain High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He had to play alongside or behind a strong group of talented running backs.
Yet, Jacobs has overcome the adversity through his life to become a star football player, one who took home MVP honors of the 2018 SEC Championship Game as a junior, and is considered to be one of the top running backs in the entire draft, according to several mock drafts.
Whether Alabama's Josh Jacobs is a first-round pick is irrelevant at this point. He made it this far and one lucky NFL team is about to land a young stud. And despite the rivalry between the two schools, it's amazing to see former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson be the first to welcome him to his new career.
