Here’s one main reason why Lawrence is adamant about playing in 2020
By: Gavin Oliver August 10, 2020

There is a big reason why Trevor Lawrence has been so vocal on Twitter this weekend about wanting to play in a college football season this fall.

First, Clemson’s star quarterback tweeted out a message Saturday night saying, “I don’t know about y’all, but we want to play.” Lawrence then followed that up with more posts Sunday, first tweeting “#WeWantToPlay” and then, “Let’s work together to create a situation where we can play the game that all of us love. Not divide and argue. There is a way forward”.

Lawrence is using his platform to speak out and make a plea to the Power Five conferences and others to save the college football season because, in large part, he has been working his tail off over the offseason with his sights set on trying to help the Tigers win their sixth straight ACC Championship and make another run at a national championship in what would likely be his last season in a Clemson uniform.

After the Tigers’ spring practice was cut short due to COVID-19, Lawrence continued to work out by himself in Clemson and then did everything he could to stay sharp and keep his body in shape once he returned home to Cartersville, Ga.

“We had probably from March until June on our own, so I took about two weeks off after spring practice because we didn’t get a big break after the season, and then after that, I just started working out on my own here in Clemson,” Lawrence told reporters this weekend. “Couldn’t come to the facility, obviously, but working out here for about a month, running on my own, throwing a couple days a week. And then went home, I believe it was in May — like April, early May — I was back in Georgia working out at my high school, so that was good. Had a couple guys to throw to.

“Just finding anything I could to stay in shape and just stay ready because I knew — I was hoping eventually we’d be able to come back.”

Now that the Tigers are back on the field together and have begun fall camp in preparation for the season they hope to play, Lawrence is really focusing on certain areas where he wants to improve as a quarterback while also picking himself apart as a player to identify the finer points of his game that he can get better at.

Clemson’s 42-25 loss to LSU in last season’s national championship game left a sour taste in Lawrence’s mouth, so he is motivated to take his performance to another level as he hopes for the chance to help the Tigers avenge that defeat this season.

“The good thing was we were lucky, we got nine practices in the spring,” Lawrence said. “A lot of teams didn’t get any, a lot of teams got one or two, but we got over half of our practices in before the pandemic because we started so early. So really, I got to work on a lot of things I wanted to work on. I wanted to work on my base and just accuracy. I think towards the end of the year, my mechanics got a little bit off and you could definitely tell. So just accuracy, mechanics, my base in the pocket and my pocket presence – all those things I wanted to work on, and I did in the spring and got a lot better.

“But over the offseason, continuing to do those on my own as much as I can. It’s hard without live looks, but then definitely this fall camp, that’s been one of my priorities is just what can I get better at, little things? Because at this point, I know the offense. Still a lot more I can learn as far as big picture, football wise. But in our offense, I know what everyone’s doing, I know all that. So, just how can I get a little bit better in all these different areas, and that’s really what I’m trying to do right now.”

Clemson is three practices into fall camp, which began last Thursday, and Lawrence says the team is headed in the right direction after a long layoff.

“We worked a good bit, had some player-led stuff this summer towards the end of July and early August. But now it’s every day,” Lawrence said. “We’re practicing every day, guys are getting challenged, getting mentally tougher. It’s hot out here, long practice, so I think we’re definitely getting better.”

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