Clemson star player Trevor Lawrence announced on Wednesday that his university football career has ended and that he will instead take advantage of opportunities as a professional. The presumed overall number 1 pick indicated he would declare for the NFL draft in 2021 in a video released by the Tigers, in which Lawrence thanked fans, teammates and coaches for his time in Clemson.
Lawrence led Clemson to a national championship in 2018 as a true first-year student and was a Heisman Trophy finalist this season, finishing second in the voting. He was instrumental in winning the Tigers three ACC championships in a row and has advanced to the College Football Playoff in the last three seasons. Clemson also played in the successive campaigns for the national title, although it lost to LSU in 2019.
Lawrence started 36 of the 40 games he was active for after being picked up as an appetizer early in his freshman season. He set a 34-2 record with a perfect 11-0 point in Clemson’s national championship season. Its losses over the past two years come in the CFP.
As a senior, Lawrence completed 69.2% of his passes for 3,153 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions plus eight more touchdowns on the ground. For his career, Lawrence threw more than 40 games for 10,098 yards with 90 passes, 17 interceptions, 943 yards and 18 runs. He finishes third on the school’s leading passenger list.
Although he had previously left the door open for a possible return to Clemson in 2021, Lawrence let it be known that he intended to explain for the draft. “My mindset was that I would go further,” Lawrence said in October, “but who knows? There are many things that can happen.”
With the departure of Lawrence, 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 issues that university athletes faced in 2020. He was one of the many sensational players – along with Justin Fields and Alabama, Ohio State’s fullback, and Najee Harris – to promote the #WeWantToPlay movement in August. season on the brink appears due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The junior was also an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement when he reached a fever in the summer after the murder of George Floyd.
Lawrence leaves a powerful legacy as a player who not only helped Clemson win his third national title, but gave a voice to those who play the game. He is often one of the first names named among the best players in college football, and if he does not foresee the next few months, he will probably only hear his name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on the first night.