The changes Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence made this offseason that are paying off in 2020
Trevor Lawrence was far from the only reason Clemson’s offense struggled in last year’s national championship game against LSU. But as the 6-foot-6, 220-pound quarterback sat in the locker room following the 42-25 defeat, the first of his college career, Lawrence put the blame on himself.
“At the end of the day I just didn’t play well enough for us to win,” Lawrence said that January night in New Orleans. “Too many missed plays by me, missed a lot of receivers and it just wasn’t my night.”
Lawrence, the projected No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NFL draft, vowed after his poor performance against LSU (18-for-37 passing, 234 yards, 0 touchdowns) that he would get better and make sure he never had that feeling of letting his team down again.
He went to work this offseason, adding muscle, getting as many reps as possible and making slight changes to his footwork.
Through the first two weeks of the 2020 season, Lawrence is playing arguably the best football of his career.
The Georgia native and Heisman favorite is 30-of-37 passing (81.1%) for 519 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He has thrown only one inaccurate pass all year, with the other incompletions consisting of drops and on one occasion a receiver slipping and falling down.
“He’s locked in. He’s owning the plan. He’s got the details down. So he’s just what you would expect from a third-year guy in a system,” Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said. “He’s just in complete control. And now he’s out there one step ahead of everybody because, No. 1, he’s got the skills. But now he’s got complete control and understands all the details.”
Making Lawrence’s numbers even more impressive is the fact that he has put them up in about five quarters of work. He wasn’t needed in the fourth quarter of Clemson’s 37-13 win against Wake Forest in the season opener, or in the second half of last week’s 49-0 victory against The Citadel.
The competition hasn’t been the toughest through the first two weeks of the season, but the pinpoint accuracy has been impressive nonetheless, particularly after Lawrence had 17 overthrows against LSU to end last season, according to ESPN.
Elliott is the first to point out that Clemson’s struggles against LSU weren’t all on Lawrence. From the offensive line, to running backs, to receivers, the pieces around Lawrence didn’t do enough to help him that night, Elliott said.
Still, he saw his star quarterback enter the offseason on a mission after struggling that night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
“A true competitor. He tips his hat when he gets defeated and then he figures out what he can do better and focuses on that and develops a discipline to be able to play consistently at that level so he doesn’t put himself in that situation again,” Elliott said. “What I’ve seen is that he’s not trying to press. He’s not trying to play above a certain level. He’s just trying to meet that high level of play, and he understands to do that you’ve got to be consistent.”
The most noticeable difference for Lawrence from a mechanical standpoint is that he switched up his back foot from last year when taking snaps.
Lawrence used to begin plays with his left foot slightly further back than his right foot. He now has his right foot placed further back.
“I switched my stagger this offseason ... on quicker throws I think it’s a lot more efficient having my right foot back,” Lawrence said. “Then also when I drop back I feel like I have a better base when I’m doing that. So me and (quarterbacks) coach (Brandon) Streeter talked a lot about it this offseason and just kind of been working and messing around with it and I think it’s working well.”
Lawrence added that he also has a higher grip on the ball this season, and that he is more confident from a mental and physical standpoint than he was at this time a season ago.
“Every year is different but I think just my mindset and my focus level, the little details of the game are a lot better now than they were. I think I’ve gotten a lot smarter, but I’ve also simplified the game,” Lawrence said. “I’m not trying to do too much and just taking what’s there. I’m not trying to make every play a home run play. Just moving the ball more consistently.”
Add it all up and you’ve got a quarterback who is playing as well as anyone in the country and who is making a strong early-season push to be Clemson’s first Heisman winner in school history.
Next Clemson football game
Who: Clemson vs. Virginia
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
When: 8 p.m. Oct. 3
TV: ACC Network
This story was originally published September 25, 2020 at 11:23 AM with the headline "The changes Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence made this offseason that are paying off in 2020."
