Five Tigers Ranked in College Football's Early Top 50 Players for 2019

After a phenomenal 2018 season, there’s no shock that Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne received national recognition in Athlon Sports’ College Football’s Early Top 50 Players for 2019. 

True freshman Trevor Lawrence was ranked No. 2, falling shortly behind Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, despite leading the Tigers to a National Championship in his first collegiate season and putting on a show against Tagovailoa and Alabama in the title game.

Athlon Sports expressed the difficulty that comes with ranking these two elite players back to back by stating, “Lawrence and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa are really 1A and 1B in this ranking. As a true freshman in 2018, Lawrence helped to guide Clemson to the national championship by throwing for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns to just four picks even though he didn't start the season as the starter.”

Star running back, Travis Etienne, earned a place at No. 4 shortly behind Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor. With Taylor accumulating 2,194 yards on 307 attempts compared to Etienne’s 1,658 yards on just 204 carries, a compelling argument can be made as to who fits the title as the nation’s best running back coming into the 2019 season. 

Three more tigers also found a place in the Top 50. Dynamic duo Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross round out at No. 21 as a pair after accounting for 1,936 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in the 2018 season. 

Five-star recruit and true freshman Xavier Thomas was ranked No. 23 overall after an impressive debut that saw 10.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks while playing a limited amount of snaps. 

Honorable mention: Isaiah Simmons, S/LB

Read the full list from Athlon Sports HERE