Trevor Lawrence is a 6’6”, 215-pound freshman from
Cartersville, Georgia, and he went from a well-known star in the south to a
household name thanks to his brilliant play in the College Football Playoff. In
56 games played as the starting varsity QB at Cartersville High School, Trevor
threw for a total of 13,902 passing yards with 161 touchdowns and only 21
interceptions, completing 846 of 1,335 passes. Lawrence was ranked the No.1 high
school player in the nation, regardless of position. He played in the U.S. Army
All-American Game, where he earned the “U.S. Army Player-of-the-Year” Award,
was Georgia’s Gatorade Player-of-the-Year and was the USA Today National
Offensive Player-of-the-Year. Trevor even broke Georgia’s state records for
passing yards and touchdowns, which were previously held by his Clemson
predecessor, Deshaun Watson. Trevor was recruited and offered by 23 schools,
including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma and Michigan. Schools, coaches,
players and fans all across the country had been crossing their fingers up
until December 15th, 2016. This was the day that the #1 player in
the nation, Trevor Lawrence, committed to play football at Clemson University. While
Clemson coaches, players and fans could let out a breath of relief, it would not
be long before they had to hold their breath again.
The quarterback battle prior to the
2018 season was something the coaches and players may not have wanted to talk
about but everybody knew had to be discussed. Kelly Bryant took over as
Clemson’s quarterback for the 2017 season after Deshaun Watson was drafted in
the first round by the Houston Texans. As a first-year starter, Kelly Bryant
led Clemson to a third straight ACC Title and College Football Playoff with a
12-2 record. To be fair, Bryant was really 12-1 because he started the Syracuse
game injured and didn’t even finish the first half. During the 2018 Orange and
White Game, Trevor and Kelly were on opposing teams. While Kelly went 8-15 with
only 35 yards, Trevor went 11-16 with 122 yards and 1 touchdown. The vast
differences and skill set between the performance of the two quarterbacks was
noticeable. The Clemson fan base went back to holding its breath after the
spring game up until September 1st to see who would be named the
starter against Furman. Kelly Bryant was designated as the starter for the
season opener, and while everyone could finally let out their long breath of
fresh air, knowing that the decision was deserved and fair, they were all also
wondering how long this would continue.
Four weeks. Kelly Bryant remained
the starting QB on the depth chart for 4 weeks. The Monday before the team
played Syracuse – the Tigers’ only regular season loss of 2017 – Trevor
Lawrence was named the starting QB, supplanting Kelly Bryant, who had a 16-1
record as the starter. A few days later, Kelly Bryant announced his decision to
transfer and use his last year of eligibility elsewhere. With the weight of the
world (and all the eyes in it) on his shoulders, Trevor Lawrence knew it was
his time to step up and be a big-time play-maker for the rest of the season. Ironically,
Trevor’s debut as starter would be short-lived. He left the first quarter with
a neck injury, and for the second straight year, the Tigers’ starting
quarterback wouldn’t make it to halftime against Syracuse. Thankfully, the originally
third-string (now second-string) quarterback, Chase Brice, was ready for his number
to be called and performed in the clutch for a thrilling come-from-behind win
that will forever be remembered by Clemson Nation.
After Trevor was named the starting
QB, he took his opportunity and—occasionally literally—ran with it. In the
Tigers’ historic 15-0 season, Trevor threw for 30 touchdowns, 3,280 yards and
completed 259 out of 397 passes with only 4 interceptions. He finished 2nd
in the ACC total passing yards and broke Deshaun Watson’s Clemson records for passing
yards and touchdowns by a freshman. In addition to becoming just the second
true freshman QB in history to start and win a National Championship, Trevor
earned an abundance of awards and recognition throughout the year, including:
Freshman All-American Team, Touchdown Club of Columbus Archie Griffin Award,
ACC Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-ACC, Rivals’ All-Bowl Team, Offensive
MVP of the Cotton Bowl, and Offensive MVP of the National Championship.
From the outside looking in, the
biggest thing that stands out about Trevor Lawrence—aside from his hair—is what
a great athlete he is and how effortlessly he makes it seem. But for the
coaches, players and people who are around him the most, what really stands out
the most about Trevor is how gracefully and confidently he carries himself
without coming across as cocky or arrogant. Anytime his teammates were asked to
describe him, the most common adjectives are: quiet, laid-back, calm, “a cool
dude,” and that he never gets worked up. His teammates even laughed and said
that in practice when he gets sacked or throws an interception, Trevor pops
back up and congratulates the defender on his play. Trevor’s favorite player
growing up was former Tennessee and future NFL Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning. Lawrence
even wears #16 because of Manning. Coincidentally, Trevor Lawrence is often
said to be the best NFL quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning. Trevor said
he liked how Peyton Manning carried himself, and I don’t know if Trevor knows
it or not yet, but one day kids will grow up and say the same thing about him.
Despite all the notoriety of winning
a National Championship as a true freshman, Trevor Lawrence’s humble persona
still remains unfettered. In fact, during the post-game press conference after
beating Alabama, Trevor’s youthful innocence was exhibited when he asked if he
could take his name plate as a souvenir. When asked how he is so laid back in
the midst of everything that has happened this season, Trevor casually said, “Football’s
important to me obviously, but it’s not my life. It’s not the biggest thing in
my life I would say – my faith is. That just comes from knowing who I am
outside of that. I just know that no matter how big the situation is, it’s not
going to define me. I put my identity in who Christ thinks I am, and who I know
that He says I am, so at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what
other people think of me.” These words of wisdom beyond his age will go down in
history to the Clemson faithful, right alongside the true freshman who has
already started his historical journey as a Tiger.
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