Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence drops first hint at his plans for 2020 season
By Mark Powell
Trevor Lawrence with a chip on his shoulder? College football isn’t ready
With the wave of recent college football opt-outs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it would appear the game’s biggest name will stick around for what’s more than likely his final amateur season. Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence has a sour taste in his mouth, given how last season ended at the hands of the LSU Tigers. Dabo Swinney’s bunch ran into one of the greatest teams in modern college football history, and no amount of preparation could make up for that talent disparity (and Clemson was very, very good!).
Lawrence completed under 50 percent of passes in that game, and for the first time in his collegiate career, he was rightfully questioned. The 20-year-old is undoubtedly the No. 1 draft prospect at this point in time for 2021, but is that enough to entice him to skip his junior year altogether to avoid significant COVID-19 risk?
Lawrence’s recent Instagram post suggests he’s got one more year left in him
The short answer is that, no, Lawrence is not about playing it safe.
“I haven’t gone through much adversity here,” Lawrence told USA Today. “That was the only game I’ve lost since I’ve been here, but it makes you want to go back and work even harder.”
The Cartersville native will enter the season as the Heisman favorite, and Clemson the odds-on favorite to win the College Football Playoff, should there be on in early 2021. In a conference with very little direct competition, Clemson’s ACC-only schedule is actually an advantage. Barring a slip-up, Lawrence will get the opportunity at the vengeance he seeks.
Lawrence took this defeat personally, and even without Justyn Ross and now Xavier Thomas, it’s that personal responsibility that still weighs on him.
“At the end of the day, I just didn’t play well enough for us to win,” Lawrence said. “Too many missed plays by me. I missed a lot of receivers. It just wasn’t my night.”
Perfection is an unfair expectation, but it’s exactly what Lawrence is seeking, pandemic or not.
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