Swinney predicts pro success for 'unique' Lawrence
There isn't much that Clemson's star quarterback Trevor Lawrence hasn't accomplished at the college level: He won the national championship as a freshman, led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff in three straight seasons, and has rewritten the school's record books since his arrival in 2018.
After declaring for the NFL draft earlier in January, the 21-year-old is projected to be selected first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, a franchise that has finished with a winning record once in the last 13 years.
If you ask the man who coached him over the last three years, he's confident that Lawrence is the right player to turn it around.
"There's not one box you can't check with Trevor Lawrence," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney told "The Jake Asman Show" on SportsMap. "He's just unique. He is the first Trevor Lawrence. That's the best way I can describe it."
The Cartersville, Georgia native leaves Death Valley as Clemson's all-time winningest quarterback. Swinney compared him to another Clemson national champion quarterback who's a generational talent.
"Really, all of the qualities that I loved about Deshaun (Watson), he and Trevor share those," Swinney said. "It's amazing as far as their poise, their demeanor, their love of preparation, their football IQs, you name it."
Lawrence has been successful at every level of the sport, losing just two games in high school and finishing his Clemson career with a 34-2 record, with both losses coming in CFP matchups. In three seasons, Lawrence passed for 10,098 yards, throwing 90 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. He also rushed for 943 yards and added 18 rushing touchdowns.
"He just makes it look easy," Swinney said, "and I think the expectations have always been so high for him it almost plays against him a little bit. ... It's just kind of just normal to some people what he does. And it's really not normal. ...
"But, you know, football people know that and that's why he'll be the first pick. And he's going to win. He's going to win. I know the pro game. Everybody's good and the margin gets even smaller, but just like you've seen the specialness of Deshaun Watson, you'll see the same thing with Trevor ... you'll see it translate to the next level as he takes this next step."
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