TAMPA, Fla. — The fresh-faced Brandon Streeter looks much as he must have when he was starting at quarterback for Clemson in 1998 and 1999, seasons in which the Tigers went a combined 9-14.

Things are different now. Streeter is middle-aged, with children and a house and a career. He is no longer Clemson’s quarterback, but its quarterbacks coach. He joined the staff in December 2014, and since coming aboard, he has whispered in the ear of the Tigers’ two-time Heisman Trophy finalist, Deshaun Watson.

In those two seasons, Clemson has gone 28-2. Having beaten Alabama, 35-31, on Monday night in a rematch of last year’s title game, the Tigers are national champions for the first time in 35 years.

“I knew it was going to happen,” Streeter said. “It was just a matter of time.”

It was that kind of faith that allowed him to speak to Watson with confidence when victory seemed beyond Clemson’s grasp on Monday night.