Clemson’s star quarterback Trevor Lawrence announced on Wednesday that his college football career has ended and he will instead pursue opportunities as a professional. The alleged general choice # 1 indicated that he would declare himself for the NFL’s 2021 Draft in a video released by Tigers, where Lawrence thanks fans, teammates and coaches for his time at Clemson.
Lawrence took Clemson to a national championship in 2018 as a real freshman and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy this season, finishing second in the vote. He was instrumental in making the Tigers win three consecutive ACC championships and advancing to the College Football Playoff in each of the past three seasons. Clemson also disputed the national title in consecutive campaigns, although he lost in 2019 to LSU.
Lawrence started in 36 of the 40 games he played in as a starter at the start of his freshman season. He compiled a record 34-2 with a perfect 11-0 mark in the Clemson national championship season. Their losses in each of the past two years came from the CFP.
As a senior, Lawrence completed 69.2% of his passes for 3,153 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions, in addition to another eight touchdowns on the ground. For his career, Lawrence shot 10,098 yards in 40 games, with 90 passing touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 943 running yards and 18 running touchdowns. He finishes third in the list of most important passers of all time in the school.
Although he already left the door open for a possible return to Clemson in 2021, Lawrence made it clear that his intentions were to declare himself for the project. “My mindset is that I’m going to move on,” said Lawrence in October, “but who knows? There are many things that can happen.”
With Lawrence gone, college football loses not only one of its best players, but also one of its biggest faces after an unprecedented season. Lawrence was an ambassador for the problems faced by college athletes in 2020. He was one of several high-profile players – alongside Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and running back Najee Harris of Alabama – to promote the #WeWantToPlay movement in August , when a college football season appeared on the edge due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The junior was also a vocal advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement when it reached its peak in the summer after the assassination of George Floyd.
Lawrence leaves a powerful legacy as a player that not only helped Clemson win his third national title, but gave voice to those who play. He is usually one of the first names to be mentioned among the best college football players and, except for something unforeseen in the coming months, he is likely to hear his name being called first by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on draft night.