Deshaun Watson is working tirelessly to get back on the field, but he and the Tigers are playing it safe with his rehab.

Clemson's star sophomore is four months removed from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL he suffered late last season, which means he is throwing and doing some light running. He told Aaron Brenner of The (Charleston, South Carolina) Post and Courier, though, he doesn't "want to rush anything."

"I'll come back whenever I'm ready, and whenever that time is will be the right time," Watson told The Post and Courier.

Watson said he will follow the direction of trainer Danny Poole and push his rehab as much as the surgically-repaired knee will allow.

Watson has been injury prone during his short time at Clemson, suffering three significant injuries as a freshman in 2014. The Tigers had senior Cole Stoudt to step in last year. If Watson is unable to play this coming season, the Tigers will be relying on former walk-on Nick Schuessler.

While ideally Watson would be taking the first-team reps in practice, the spring has afforded the Tigers an opportunity to prepare Schuessler for emergency situations this fall. In this past weekend's spring game, he completed 9 of 13 first-half attempts for 134 yards and two touchdowns.