"It's very special": When Deshaun Watson reacted to Nick Saban comparing him with Cam Newton 

Throughout his college career at Clemson, Deshaun Watson was often compared with former Auburn superstar and Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton. This is because both were elite dual-threat quarterbacks who knew how to run the ball down the field.

Among the many who have chimed in on this comparison as praise for Watson, was legendary college football coach Nick Saban, who was coach of Alabama aat the time.

When Watson heard about the comparison, during an interview in the Bank of America Stadium in Aug. 2016, Watson said:

"It was something that I've been compared to a lot since high school. Cam is one of my best friends, and it bothered me a bit because I looked up to that guy and watched him a lot."

Still, Watson took pride in the praise from Saban.

"It is nice for Coach Nick Saban to compare me to a great athlete and just a great person. I can't move like Cam, but, yeah, it's very special," Watson added.

"I appreciate Nick for that comment. It’s something I can take and run with — use it as motivation — while also putting my own name and my own brand out there. I want to try to do the same things he did in my own way."

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What Nick Saban said in his comparison of Deshaun Watson and Cam Newton?

There have only been a handful of quarterbacks who have troubled Nick Saban on the college football field. One is Cam Newton, who rallied from a 24-0 deficit in the 2010 Iron Bowl to defeat Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide 28-27.

Another is Deshaun Watson, who beat Saban's Crimson Tide 35-31 in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.

However, even before that, Saban's 45-40 win against Watson's Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship game led him to speak highly of Watson, comparing him with Newton in July 2016.

"That guy is the most significantly dominant player that we've played against since Cam Newton in 2010," Saban said on College Football Live.

To earn such high praise from a seven-time national champion-winning coach speaks volumes about who Deshaun Watson was in college.