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5 Things that separate Trevor Lawrence from other CFB Playoff QBs

By Andrew Boardwine

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 26: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers looks on during the Tigers' football game against the Boston College Eagles at Memorial Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 26: Quarterback Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers looks on during the Tigers' football game against the Boston College Eagles at Memorial Stadium on October 26, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 07: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers drops back to pass against the Virginia Cavaliers during the ACC Football Championship game at Bank of America Stadium on December 07, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 07: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers drops back to pass against the Virginia Cavaliers during the ACC Football Championship game at Bank of America Stadium on December 07, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

While many analysts continue to discredit Trevor Lawrence, here are five things that separate him from the other CFB Playoff quarterbacks.

Trevor Lawrence didn’t get off to the best start, statistically speaking. He was throwing a lot of interceptions and missing on some routine passes early on in the season.

Despite the early adversity, Lawrence pressed on and got better as a result.

Since the first quarter of the Louisville game, Lawrence has held the highest QB rating in the nation and has completed 73.9 percent of his passing attempts for 1,826 yards and 23 touchdowns to no interceptions.

Here are five things that separate Trevor Lawrence from the rest of the quarterbacks in the CFB Playoff field.

5. He’s the only QB that hasn’t transferred

Before we get into talent analysis, let’s just take a second to realize that Trevor Lawrence is the only CFB Playoff quarterback that’s not a transfer.

Lawrence earned the starting position four games into his freshman season in 2018 and never looked back. The other quarterbacks in this group haven’t necessarily had the same experience.

Jalen Hurts started for Alabama as a freshman in 2016 and led the Crimson Tide to a National Championship appearance, however Alabama fell short to a Deshaun Watson-led Clemson team in a 35-31 loss.

The next season, Hurts led the Crimson Tide to a 13-1 season and they beat Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. However, he was replaced by freshman QB Tua Tagovailoa in the second half of the National Championship against Georgia when Tagovailoa led Alabama on a come-from-behind victory against the Bulldogs. Hurts played sparingly as Tagovailoa’s backup during his junior season before eventually transferring to Oklahoma.

Ohio State QB Justin Fields has a much different story. Fields was a 5-star QB product when he committed to Georgia, but was unable to beat out Jake Fromm for the position. The most notable play for him as a Bulldog came in the SEC Championship game last season when Kirby Smart elected to use him on a fake punt that went horribly wrong. Fields transferred to Ohio State and, just like Hurts, finished as a Heisman finalist.

Joe Burrow redshirted his first season at Ohio State and then spent two years behind JT Barrett before electing to transfer to LSU. He was named the starter for the Tigers in 2018, but didn’t have near the year last season that he would have this season, culminating in a Heisman Trophy.

All three of these quarterbacks have stories of ‘redemption’ in many ways, but it’s only Trevor Lawrence who was able to win out the QB position from the start and maintain it over the course of his career.

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