If there was any real drama left for Clemson fans, Trevor Lawrence put an official end to it on Wednesday, posting a video on social media announcing he would enter the NFL draft.
“My time here has been amazing and I will be a Clemson Tiger forever,” Lawrence said in the video.
Thanks, Clemson … pic.twitter.com/JDbM8aYYGv
– Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) January 6, 2021
Lawrence led Clemson to a national championship as a freshman in 2018 and won his first 25 outings for the Tigers before falling to LSU in last year’s title. He made the College Football Playoff the three years of his career at Clemson. He finished second in the Heisman vote announced Tuesday, and is expected to be the Jacksonville Jaguars’ No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called Lawrence, “the best winner I’ve ever had,” and praised his QB for his work off the field.
Lawrence helped organize a social justice movement in Clemson this summer and was part of the #WeWantToPlay movement that helped push sports leaders forward with a college football season amid the coronavirus pandemic this year.
“Looking back, I hope my legacy is that he was a great teammate and a great person overall, rather than how he played,” Lawrence said. “It’s how I treated people. I want him to be the main one to know me.”
Lawrence initially told ESPN’s College GameDay in October that he planned to enter the draft, but later backtracked on that comment, saying “who knows” what the future holds, which he added to speculation that he might return to school if he was not happy is likely to be drafted by the team.
“I try to enjoy my last few months here if that’s what I decide to do,” Lawrence said at the time. “I’m trying to enjoy it and obviously I’m not trying to make a big fuss. I don’t want more people talking about me than I already am, so what I have is I’m never going to corner myself. where I have to do something just for something I said in the past. “
After testing positive for COVID-19 and losing Clemson’s games to Boston College and Notre Dame, Lawrence again led the Tigers to a sixth consecutive ACC championship, before falling to Ohio State in the semifinals. of the College Football Playoff last week.
Lawrence finished his Clemson career in third place in school history in passing gardens (10,098) and second in passing TDs (90).
“For all my teammates over the last three years, it’s been the most fun trip I’ve ever been,” Lawrence said. “I’m going to look back on these last three years and I’ll have the best memories.”