Clemson Football: 5 impact players for Tigers in national title game

By Dana Becker | Jan 3, 2019

CLEMSON, SC - SEPTEMBER 09: Defensive end Austin Bryant #7, defensive end Clelin Ferrell #99, and defensive lineman Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers celebrate following a sack made by Bryant against the Auburn Tigers at Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /

2 of 6

(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Many Clemson fans probably never thought the school would recruit another quarterback like current Houston Texan standout Deshaun Watson. Well, Dabo Swinney found himself another superstar in true freshman Trevor Lawrence.

After seeing what Lawrence could do in early action, Swinney made the difficult call to bench senior starter Kelly Bryant. The offense has hit another gear under the Georgia native, highlighted by a 30-3 victory over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Lawrence was 27-for-39 for 327 yards and three touchdowns, even adding several nice little runs to help force the defense to back off star running back Travis Etienne.

Over his last four games, Lawrence has thrown eight touchdowns without an interception, and has just four picks on the year. He has already broken several of Watson’s freshman records, and it appears as if more of those high-water marks will continue to fall.

Lawrence enters the national title game with 27 touchdowns and over 2,900 yards on the year. He also has completed 60-plus percent of his passes in 10 games this season.

Home/Clemson Tigers