How do you rank the 25 most important players on a squad’s roster?
It is not easy. However, I rank them based on their past performance, experience and who is behind them on the depth chart, as well as their level of talent.
Here is my ranking of the 25 most important players on Clemson’s 2020 football roster. Here is No. 1 on the list.
No. 1: Trevor Lawrence
Class: Junior
Position: Quarterback
Height: 6-6
Weight: 220
Bio: In his two years at Clemson, Lawrence has thrown for 6,945 yards with 66 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions. In all, he has played in 30 games. Last year, he earned First-Team All-ACC honors at quarterback, while throwing for 3,665 yards with 36 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. He also rushed for 563 yards and scored nine touchdowns on the ground. Lawrence did not throw an interception in his last eight games, ending the season with 239 consecutive passes thrown without an interception, breaking his own Clemson record.
Why No. 1: Lawrence is a winner. The projected top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is 25-1 as Clemson’s starting quarterback. He led the Tigers to a national championship in 2018, the first team since 1897 to post a perfect 15-0 record. He was the ACC Rookie of the Year that season and was the first freshman since 1985 to lead his team to a national championship. Lawrence has a cannon for an arm and, as his numbers have shown, he makes great decisions with the football. His mobility in the pocket is underrated, as he climbs and uses the pocket to extend plays better than anyone in college football. He can also be an elusive runner in the open field, something he proved with his 67-yard touchdown run against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
They said it: “It is what you would expect from a guy that is going to graduate in December and a guy that has played in two national championship games and has lost just one game. He is pretty special where he is right now. It was awesome to see his sense of urgency this spring on the details of everything he is trying to do. Just really the precision in what he is doing. I mean, it is just another level.” –Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney
25 most important Clemson Tigers of 2020:
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