Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson suffers season-ending knee injury, but those close to him know he will rebound in a big way

In an NFL season with new controversy or drama every week, Deshaun Watson was a refreshing change of pace. For some fans, otherwise disenchanted, he was a reason to still watch.

That’s what made Thursday’s news so jarring, that the sensational rookie quarterback for the Houston Texans had suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during a non-contact drill at practice. Watson is done for the season.

The development hit hard in Watson’s hometown, where diehard University of Georgia fans once did the unthinkable, donning Clemson orange, in honor of their beloved football icon.

From the halls of Gainesville High, Watson’s alma mater, to the jam-packed tables of the Longstreet Café, his favorite hangout for home cooking, his supporters had watched every snap of his dizzying ascent.

For many of them, Thursday landed with a thud. For others, including those who know Watson best, it’s just another opportunity to watch him rebound.

“He’ll come back,” said his aunt, Sonia Watson, subdued but sure of her words. “I talked to him a little while ago. He said he was OK. Maybe this was just a test.”

This isn’t life or death. Players routinely come back from this type of knee injury, as Watson did after sustaining a torn ACL in his other knee in college. But it’s a gut punch that Watson’s brief, brilliant run has come to an abrupt end, and the pause button has been pushed on his ultra-promising football career.

The Watson news came less than 24 hours after the Houston Astros won their first World Series. That has to temper a bit of the excitement.

“Minor setback for a major comeback,” tweeted Texans teammate J.J. Watt, recovering from a season-ending broken leg. “We’ve all seen what’s possible. Can’t wait to see what’s next. With you every step of the way 4.”

That 4 is a reference to Watson’s number, and he had the top-selling rookie jersey on NFLShop.com as of Thursday night. At the midway point of the regular season, he was a surprise most-valuable-player candidate who still figures to be in the next wave of superstars, especially with quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Brees in the fourth quarter of their careers.

Admittedly, Watson has been around for only a blink. The Texans, typically known for their defense, scored more than 33 points in each of Watson’s four starts last month. He had 19 passing touchdowns in his first seven career games, more than any quarterback in the modern era.

“He’s going to be a special player in this league,” Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman raved after Watson’s captivating performance Sunday in a 41-38 loss at Seattle. “He made plays that very few people in this league, including the top-tier guys, can make.”

Watson is just what the NFL needed in a season marked by turmoil. There’s the issue of players protesting the national anthem — a controversy that has polarized fans — the on-again, off-again suspension of Ezekiel Elliott, the sagging TV numbers, and this week, Papa John’s pizza, a major sponsor, pointing to the league as the reason for disappointing revenues.

And along comes Watson, a marketer’s dream.

“Nobody’s going to work harder,” said his college coach, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. “He’s so brilliant. That’s why I’d just get infuriated at some of the things that were said in the process by people who had no clue of what he’s taught, what he knows, what he’s being asked to do. It was just laughable. But people figured it out quick, though. They figured it out real quick.”

It still mystifies Swinney that Watson wasn’t the first quarterback taken in the draft. He went 12^th overall to the Texans, after both Chicago and Kansas City traded up for quarterbacks, the Bears taking Mitchell Trubisky second and the Chiefs selecting Patrick Mahomes at 10. Quarterback-starved Cleveland passed on Watson twice, ignoring the warning of Swinney that passing on Watson was akin to passing on Michael Jordan.

For the moment, Watson’s career is on ice. He’s the latest in a constellation of sidelined stars, joining Watt, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, New York Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr., and now Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck, who was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

But Watson is nothing if not resilient. He and his three siblings were raised by their mother, Deann, in a low-income housing complex at the edge of town. When Deshaun was 9, he brought home a trick-or-treat bucket provided by his church. Beneath the candy was an application for Habitat for Humanity, the charity that builds houses for the poor.

Wanting a safer environment for her children, Deann filled out the form and spent the next two years volunteering for the organization.

“Guess what,” Sonia said. “That’s when God went to work and blessed her. She got a Habitat home. That was the joy of her life.”

It was Home for the Holidays, the charity of former NFL running back Warrick Dunn, that stocked the Watson home with furniture, beds, a lawnmower, and even groceries. When the family moved in, it was Dunn who provided them with the keys.

Times got harder still. Deann was diagnosed with mouth cancer, endured multiple surgeries, and eventually lost her tongue. Devastated as he was throughout his mom’s illness, Deshaun stood strong and wound up leading Gainesville High to its only state football championship in his junior year. Later, at Clemson, he directed the Tigers to a national championship in his third season there.

She still lives in that four-bedroom Habitat home, which is modest but comfortable. Deshaun recently bought her a black Jaguar SUV, which she has proudly adorned with a large, magnetic Texans decal on the driver’s door.

When it comes to Watson, folks in Gainesville believe in the rule of threes. Three years to win state. Three years to win a national title. Three years until the Texans win their first Super Bowl.

Who is Swinney to argue?

“When they drafted him, I did a couple of interviews, and they asked me, ‘What are we getting? What are the Texans getting?’ ” the coach said. “I said, ‘You just got a Super Bowl. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but you’re going to win a Super Bowl with that guy.’ ”

If so, the NFL will be better for it.

sports@latimes.com