Best Clemson football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore

Coming to Clemson as the No. 1 overall recruit in college football for 2018, it’s safe to say that there was plenty of hype about the Tigers landing quarterback Trevor Lawrence. And it’s also safe to say that the long-haired gunslinger has almost wholly lived up to the hype since he was given the reins of Dabo Swinney’s offense.

Lawrence had to battle with Kelly Bryant, the incumbent starter, for the QB1 job over the first few games of his freshman season but it was clear that the youngster was the better option. Despite splitting time with Bryant, however, he still finished his first season with 3,280 yards, 30 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Oh yeah — he also helped the Tigers cruise to a National Championship victory.

Fully in charge of the offense entering his sophomore campaign, Lawrence came out of the gate not meeting expectations, turning the ball over more than expected and simply looking sloppy. However, he found his groove and was unstoppable all the way up until another title game appearance, this time falling short against LSU. Even still, he threw for 3,665 yards and 38 scores while also rushing for 563 yards and nine touchdowns as well.

Though he’s not even started two full seasons, Lawrence is already fourth all-time in passing yards at Clemson (6,945) and third all-time in passing touchdowns (66). Throw two National Championship Game appearances and one title into the mix for the quarterback, even if he still has one more season left in college, and he’s already earned his spot on the mountain.