Freshman Trevor Lawrence was named the starting quarterback over senior Kelly Bryant for Clemson football on Monday, and Twitter had a lot to say about the change.
Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney made Trevor Lawrence the starting quarterback on the heels of his four touchdown performance in the Tigers 49-21 win over Georgia Tech.
On Saturday, the true freshman and ACC Rookie of the Week, also completed 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards with one interception. He has a 65 percent completion rate, nine touchdowns and two interceptions on the season.
Week 4 @ACCFootball Rookie of the Week:@ClemsonFB QB Trevor Lawrence!
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 24, 2018
🏈🏈🏈🏈 TDs on the road vs. #GT
(@Trevorlawrencee) #ALLIN 🐅 pic.twitter.com/PZGfZgwGjQ
Looks like one Clemson fan will be sporting more facial hair soon with Lawrence getting the starting nod. I also expect to see more hair albeit wigs in the stands on Saturdays depicting Lawrence’s natural locks.
I made a deal with my kids at the @ClemsonFB spring game that I would start growing my beard again when @Trevorlawrencee was named the starting QB... so I guess it might as well be No-Shave November.
— Ryan Goodroe (@RyanGoodroe) September 24, 2018
Former Clemson Sports Information Director Tim Bourret retired on July 13, but he’s obviously still watching Clemson football and dropping statistical nuggets like only he can do.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has 9 TD passes in 60 attempts. He leads the nation in TDs per attempt, min 50 passes.
— Tim Bourret (@TimBourret) September 24, 2018
Here are more key season statistics:
- In 21 drives with Bryant under center, the offense has seven touchdowns and 52 total points.
- In 24 drives with Lawrence, the offense has 13 touchdowns and 97 total points.
Not everyone is happy with the new quarterback situation. I think it’s worth noting that Swinney started senior Cole Stoudt over freshman Deshaun Watson in 2014. Like Lawrence, Watson’s production was better than the starter’s in prior games.
I hate Clemson with a PASSION, but they are doing Kelly Bryant dirty. I’ll leave it like that. Not that I expected anything different 🤷🏾♂️ IJS
— Coach Anderson (@Crowzz01) September 25, 2018
Lawrence, a former five-star recruit, was a hot commodity for a lot of schools, and Clemson was fortunate to beat out finalist Georgia for him. Besides the Bulldogs, Tennessee was also hopeful on getting a commitment from him, and they still lament missing out on him and Tennessee natives Tee Higgins and Amari Rodgers.
Trevor Lawrence could have gone anywhere... Seeing him at Tennessee would have been cool.
— Peej (@SeminolePeej) September 24, 2018
I’m definitely not imagining what it would be like if Trevor Lawrence had come to Tennessee. SO STOP ASKING!!!
— Houston Kress (@VolRumorMill) September 24, 2018
Bryant and Jalen Hurts were the starting quarterbacks in the 2018 Sugar Bowl when Alabama beat Clemson 24-6. Now, Tua Tagovailoa is the starter for 4-0 No. 1 Bama, and Lawrence is making his first start this weekend.
How do Bama fans see the Clemson QB change affecting a probable matchup with them?
Clemson could possibly beat Alabama with trevor Lawrence at qb
— C.J. Floyd (@CJ_getsBusy) September 24, 2018
At noon on Saturday, No. 3 Clemson football will face undefeated Syracuse in Death Valley. Both teams are 4-0 and the winner will likely be the early favorite to win the ACC.
Last year, Bryant suffered a concussion at the end of the first half, and Zerrick Cooper, now a starter at Jacksonville University, finished the game. The Tigers need to avenge the 27-24 loss to keep their playoff hopes alive. A loss could be mean the end of Clemson’s(3) and the ACC’s(4) streak of College Football Playoff appearances.