College football rankings 2021: Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State vie for No. 1 in way-too-early Top 25

Losing a player the caliber of Trevor Lawrence is never easy for a program to deal with, even one that has enjoyed the level of sustained success that Clemson has. Having said that, we got a look at the future of the offense when Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19 and true freshman D.J. Uiagalelei was forced to start.

Though Clemson’s one regular-season loss came with the youngster under center, Tigers fans have to be optimistic about who Lawrence is handing the keys of the offense over to. The quarterback has all the talent in the world and put up big numbers over the course of his two starts as a freshman.

Even better, Uiagalelei has plenty of weapons to work with as Lyn-J Dixon takes over for Travis Etienne in the backfield and Frank Ladson could be in line for a major breakout at wide receiver. And on the heels of a 2020 recruiting class that was one of the best in program history, the Tigers have plenty of talent elsewhere.

Having said that, Clemson slots in at No. 4 simply because of the historic talent they are losing. For as talented as the players stepping into new roles are, they have a ways to go to prove they are on the same level as Lawrence and his cohorts were. Even still, the Tigers will be int eh College Football Playoff mix once again.