Any great athlete — regardless of sport — will look for any and all motivation to fuel the proverbial fire.

Deshaun Watson just helped win Clemson their second National Championship in program history. He was named the MVP in the contest, has been a Heisman Trophy finalist in two-straight years, and likely will be a high draft pick in this April’s NFL Draft.

With all of that said, the Georgia native was apparently told he wasn’t good enough to play for the in-state flagship program. The Bulldogs instead signed prospects Jacob Park and Brice Ramsey. Park ultimately transferred to Iowa State, and Ramsey essentially has become a backup punter as opposed to a signal-caller.

Watson hails from Gainesville, Ga. The sleepy town is about an hour’s drive from Athens. It wasn’t as if the signal-caller was an unknown prospect. He was a 4-star athlete — with offers from many big-time programs from all across the country.

Mike Bobo is the current head coach at Colorado State. At the time, he was the offensive coordinator at Georgia under now Miami head coach Mark Richt. Instead of prioritizing Watson, the Bulldogs’ staff let him ultimately sign with Clemson. The Tigers’ star running back Wayne Gallman also hails from the Peach State.

Unfortunately for the fan base in Athens, the rest is history.