1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
Lawrence is everything teams want in a modern quarterback. He’s got enough arm talent to make big plays, possesses surprising speed and mobility outside of the pocket, and usually makes the right decisions. The 6-6, 220-pound quarterback enters his third season at Clemson with sky-high expectations.
While Joe Burrow lit the college football world on fire last year, his breakout season came out of nowhere. In contrast, Lawrence is walking into a situation similar to what Andrew Luck and Tua Tagovailoa dealt with once they became upperclassmen. Everyone sees the immense potential, and that comes with the expectations of a Heisman Trophy or National Championship.
Lawrence began his career at Clemson by splitting starting time with Kelly Bryant. However, Lawrence quickly supplanted Bryant as the team’s starter and elevated the offense to new heights.
As a true freshman, Lawrence completed 65.2% of his pass attempts for 3,280 yards, 30 touchdowns, and four interceptions. His season culminated in 347 passing yards and four touchdowns in a lopsided victory against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the National Championship.
Clemson and Lawrence returned to the championship game last year, but the Tigers came up short of defending their title. Lawrence finished seventh in the Heisman voting.
Even after sending several players to the NFL and losing Justyn Ross for the season, anything short of a playoff appearance and top-three finish in the Heisman voting would be disappointing for Lawrence.
