If you know anything about Clemson football, you’ve heard the name Trevor Lawrence. In just a few months, the freshman phenom has taken Death Valley by storm, wooing fans with his flaming passes and NFL-like pocket presence. Most fans know about how Lawrence’s arrival in Tigertown caused three other quarterbacks to leave the program, including Kelly Bryant. It’s common knowledge that he has lead the Tigers to an 8-0 start to the regular season including a 59-10 victory over ACC rival Florida State. For fans that have been following Lawrence since he’s gotten to Clemson, it might seem impossible for a kid that just celebrated his 19th birthday to cause such a stir at one of the nation’s strongest football programs. For those that have known Lawrence since his high school days, his rise to stardom is no surprise.
Back in Cartersville, Georgia in 2014, Lawrence got an early invite to practice with the high school football team. The first string quarterback at the time was Mitchell Forristall, a junior quarterback generating division one college football buzz. Forristall felt confident that he could stave off competition from the 8th grader when he first heard about Lawrence, but after seeing one pass from the 6’ 2”, lanky youngster, he knew his job was in trouble. In an interview with ESPN, Forristall said, “I saw him throw one ball, and I knew he was legit.”
During Lawrence’s freshman year, the two players split time at quarterback. After the season, Forristall decided it would be best for the team if he moved to tight end. Forristall left high school as a three-star prospect committed to Alabama, hoping that Lawrence would follow in his footsteps. Lawrence went on to throw for nearly 14,000 yards and 161 touchdowns en route to two state championships and a Player of the Year Award in 2016 per the Atlanta Journal constitution. The hype that Lawrence generated in high school was unlike that of any other player in recent memory. Wherever he went, Lawrence had people begging him to play for their favorite college team before reaching the age of 17.
Despite Forristall’s efforts to lure Lawrence to Alabama, Lawrence made his commitment to Clemson in December 2016 over the in-state powerhouse, Georgia. Had he elected to go to Georgia, Lawrence would have entered a quarterback competition with Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm, and Justin Fields—a quarterback depth chart that rivaled Clemson’s. Eason was a former five-star prospect and the team’s starter. Fromm was a four-star prospect who was a year older than Lawrence while Fields was an equally talented quarterback in the same recruiting class. Fields and Lawrence were far and away the top recruits in the nation, both coming in the top two in ESPN and 247Sports’ recruit rankings. At Clemson, Lawrence faced competition from senior Kelly Bryant, five-star freshman Hunter Johnson, and four-star sophomore Zerrick Cooper.
Lawrence was the type of recruit that could have named the school he wanted to attend. He could have chosen a school where he would be guaranteed a four-year starting job with little competition. Instead, he narrowed his list down to the two programs with the most deep and talented quarterback depth charts in the nation. Even with the all the talent on the roster, Lawrence had his sights set on the starting job before he set foot on Clemson’s campus. After last year’s Army Bowl, Lawrence said per 247Sports, “I’m trying to win the job, the starting job… I’m just going to work hard and see what happens. They said the best player is going to play. They told me that ever since I’ve been committed.”
That’s the type of player Lawrence is, the type of player he has always been. He isn’t afraid of any challenge and it seems that he has yet to find one that is too big for him to conquer. Just ask Mitchell Forristall or Kelly Bryant. The challenge for Lawrence now is bigger than himself, however. Lawrence is now the man leading the Tigers through one of their most promising seasons in program history. Already out to an 8-0 start to the season, the Tigers are primed for another run at the College Football Playoff. If Lawrence continues to improve each and every week like he has been all season, there’s no reason to think that the Tigers can’t bring home their second title in three years.
