By Robbie Ross
SouthernPigskin.com

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Furman Alum knew early on Deshaun Watson and Hunter Renfrow were destined for greatness.

nThe coaching profession is a fraternity.xc2xa0 Early mornings in the summer on the hot practice fields, long hours during the season game planning, late nights driving the highways looking for the next Heisman Trophy contender, but the rewards of relationships built with fellow coaches and players that last a lifetime make it all worth it.xc2xa0

nFor Justin Stepp coaching is not just a fraternity but a family as well.xc2xa0 Justin and his identical twin Josh are coaches at the highest level of college football.xc2xa0 Justin just finished his eighth season on a Division 1 FBS staff.xc2xa0 Josh, one minute the elder of the twins, has just been named as an assistant on Georgia Statexe2x80x99s staff after coaching in the high school ranks.xc2xa0

nJustin Stepp, an All-SOCON receiver at Furman, was hired as a Graduate Assistant by Dabo Swinney at Clemson after doing his due diligence.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cI would mark on my calendar every time Swinney would speak in the state of South Carolina.xc2xa0 I would show up, be the last one to leave and made sure I shook his hand so he either gave me a job thinking I could do a good job or just so I would leave him alone.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0 Stepp has high praise for Swinney as a role model for a young coach xe2x80x9cI learned so much from him outside of football, this is how you want to run your program, this is how you want to treat your kids, this is how you want to treat your staff, the way he treated everybody from Jacoby Ford to CJ Spiller to the walk-ons he treated everybody the same.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

nJustin Stepp, now preparing for his third season as Wide Receivers Coach at SMU, first met Deshaun Watson when he was a freshman at Gainesville High School while coaching as a Graduate Assistant at Clemson.xc2xa0 Steppxe2x80x99s role with recruits as a Graduate Assistant at Clemson was to hang out with them while on campus. xe2x80x9cI did a lot of sitting down and watching film with Deshaun, taking him places on campus, getting him to the right people he needed to meet with.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0 Stepp spoke of Deshaun in the way of a proud, beaming father, xe2x80x9cDeshaun and I got really close, he is just a great kid, he is a relationship kid, I am so incredibly happy for him.xc2xa0 I could hear his ninth-grade voice Monday night when he was doing that interview on the field after the National Championship and thatxe2x80x99s why you do this, to help kids and watch kids grow.xe2x80x9d

nAfter three years at Clemson, Stepp moved on to Appalachian State as the Wide Receivers Coach and one of his top targets for the Mountaineers was Clemson Wide Receiver Hunter Renfrow.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cHunter was my top receiver target in his senior class, he was just incredible.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0 During Steppxe2x80x99s stint in Boone, Appalachian State was in transition mode from the FCS SOCON to the FBS Sun Belt Conference.xc2xa0 It was the fact that the Mountaineers were moving up to the FBS level that Stepp felt he had a chance to sign Renfrow.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cHunter and I built an unbelievable relationship, he is a great kid that comes from a great family.xc2xa0 After watching him in high school I knew he would fit what we did at Appalachian.xc2xa0 Hunter called me one night, you could tell it was the hardest thing hexe2x80x99s ever had to do I told him if thatxe2x80x99s your dream you need to go do it.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0 Stepp and Appalachianxe2x80x99s offer to Renfrow was just one of four scholarship offers he received (Furman, Presbyterian and Wofford) before opting to walk-on at Clemson. Hunter Renfrow is now on scholarship at Clemson finishing up his Sophomore season Monday night by catching the National Championship clinching touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson for the Tigers.xc2xa0 Stepp echoed the sentiments of Swinney and Watson from Monday nightxe2x80x99s postgame interviews.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cItxe2x80x99s something that only God can do.xc2xa0 To know those kinds of two kids, how good of kids they are is pretty special to see those guys doing what they are doing, Ixe2x80x99m just so happy for those guys.xe2x80x9d

nIn 2002 to 2005 Stepp made three FCS Playoff appearances, winning one SOCON title for Furman and is happy to see one of his coaches return to Greenville to lead the Paladins again.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cReally excited for Clay.xc2xa0 I think that program took a hit when Clay left (after the 2005 season) he was such a good football coach.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0 Hendrix, a former Furman player, coached on the Paladins staff from 1986 to 2006 when he left for the Air Force Academy.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cClay knows what it takes to win at Furman, hexe2x80x99s seen it first hand, he was there when that program was winning at a high level.xc2xa0 I think he is going to do an outstanding job, I am excited for him, for my alma mater and I want to see Furman back in the top 5 every single year.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0

nAfter the 2014 season Stepp left Appalachian State following former Clemson Offensive Coordinator Chad Morris to SMU.xc2xa0 Morris, who was a large part in signing Deshaun Watson at Clemson, laid the groundwork for the Tigers offense that has been so successful over the past two seasons racking up a 28-2 record, National Finalist title and most recently a National Championship.xc2xa0 Stepp says it has been a different yet rewarding experience on the Mustangs staff.xc2xa0 xe2x80x9cWexe2x80x99ve had to flip a culture and anybody that has had to do a thing like that it takes a little bit of time.xc2xa0 Wexe2x80x99ve built a culture here and try to get our kids to be 1% better every day.xc2xa0 We won two games our first year, we won five games this year, beating a #11 ranked Houston team and had a chance to tie the game up with thirty seconds left against a 10-2 South Florida team so wexe2x80x99re getting there.xe2x80x9dxc2xa0 Stepp is enjoying recruiting the talent rich state of Texas but still has a proud eye on the Southeast watching xe2x80x9ctwo of his boysxe2x80x9d succeed on the National stage.