Trevor Lawrence details decision to be a Tiger: 'Clemson was the right place for me.'
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Trevor Lawrence sat down with Ryan Clark ahead of the start of the NFL regular season to discuss why he chose to attend Clemson. Watch the full video or take some time to read a little about Trevor Lawrence, as well as a few highlights of what was discussed on The Pivot Podcast.
When Trevor Lawrence was being recruited, Georgia and Clemson were both in the running. Lawrence grew up in Cartersville, Georgia, less than two hours from Georgia’s main campus in Athens. The Tigers have a long history of success when recruiting in the Peach State, they have landed many high-profile commitments such as Deshaun Watson, A.J. Terrell, and Vic Beasley, just to name a few.
Lawrence won two Georgia state titles while in high school and chose the Tigers over the Bulldogs, “Since I was a big recruit, I was treated well, but I think the underlying, the beliefs, the way the two programs carried themselves, I think they were a little bit different.”
Lawrence’s high level of talent at the quarterback position put him in the perfect spot to be able to compete for immediate playing time after enrolling at Clemson, which came only two years after Clemson’s high level of success under Georgia-born quarterback, Deshaun Watson.
According to Lawrence, it came down to the relationships at each school. He stated that relationships at both schools were good, but Clemson just had more of the type of people that he wanted to surround himself with, “I have a great relationship with Coach Smart… and Coach Swinney, but what it came down to for me was the rest of the people. Georgia has built something special. I felt like at the time, to go with who I am, with the way I wanted my career to go, and especially the people I wanted to surround myself with, Clemson was the right place for me.”
Lawrence went on to say that when he was deciding where to commit to, he felt really good about both schools, but ultimately chose Clemson and knew he was going to stick with the choice he made.
Lawrence committed to Clemson in 2016, the same season that Deshaun Watson led the Tigers to the top of college football for the first time since 1981. Watson grew up in Gainesville, Georgia, about an hour and a half away from where Lawrence grew up.
“I would always pass that Gainesville exit when going from Cartersville to Clemson when going back and forth from school, and he has always shown a lot of love. We have had very similar journeys… I think he was recruited by Georgia too and decided to go to Clemson, so we heard that a lot.”
Undoubtedly, Deshaun Watson’s decision to leave the state of Georgia and his ability to take Clemson to the top of college football had an influence on Lawrence’s decision.
Just two years later Lawrence followed in Watson’s footsteps and led the Tigers to a perfect 15-0 year, historic wins over both Notre Dame and Alabama in the College Football Playoff, and the program’s third national title.