The Untold Truth Of Trevor Lawrence
Regarded as possibly the greatest high school quarterback prospect of all time, Trevor Lawrence left Cartersville High School in Georgia and enrolled at Clemson University in 2018. He was expected to sit his freshman year behind senior Kelly Bryant. That idea lasted four games. Lawrence was so good he caused Bryant to transfer. After taking over the offense, Lawrence and Clemson became absolutely dominant.
His freshman season ended with Clemson hoisting the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy after an absolute trouncing of perennial powerhouse Alabama, 44-16. The Trevor Lawrence era didn't stop there. During his three seasons at Clemson, the team has compiled a mind-blowing 34-1 record while Lawrence (at the time of this writing) has thrown for 9,698 yards and 88 touchdowns. On Jan. 1, 2021, Clemson and Lawrence will once again be one of the four teams vying for a national title.
And once that game is over, Lawrence is fully expected to be the top overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. "Honestly, I know some of this stuff I say sounds cliché, but just to have the opportunity to go somewhere, help someone rebuild if that's what it is, or whatever, and just win. That's something I love doing — I think that's what I'm best at, is winning," he said on The Dan Patrick Show about his NFL future. So what else do we know about the NFL's new unicorn? Huddle up and let's discuss the untold truth of Trevor Lawrence.
Trevor Lawrence contracted COVID-19
Much like everyone else in the summer of 2020, collegiate football was trying to figure out how to proceed as normal during the time of the novel coronavirus. While many NCAA conferences weighed whether or not to postpone or cancel their seasons, Trevor Lawrence was one of the highest-profile athletes calling for the season to go on as planned. In an August 2020 Twitter thread, Lawrence claimed that "people are at just as much, if not more risk, if we don't play" and suggested it would be better for certain players to contract COVID-19 at school, so the college would pay for any medical expenses, rather than the families of athletes who may be unable to shoulder that financial burden.
"Football is a safe haven for so many people. We are more likely to get the virus in everyday life than playing football," Lawrence wrote, adding that allowing the season to continue "incentivizes" players to follow the safety protocols. "Without the season, as we've seen already, people will not social distance or wear masks and take the proper precautions," he explained.
A little over two months later, Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19 and missed two games. "It wasn't even really bad enough for me to go see the trainers as far as how I felt," he said of the days before testing positive (via The Athletic). "I didn't really feel that bad." He added, "Thankfully, I'm healthy and still feeling good."
Black Lives Matter found an ally in Trevor Lawrence
On June 13, 2020, Trevor Lawrence and several other Clemson players led a peaceful protest to shine a light on police brutality and promote racial equality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Lawrence told ESPN that he's "not a civil rights activist or an activist in general," but stated that it was his responsibility to use his platform "for the love of [his] teammates and friends, family, everyone [he] know[s]."
"I know there's a lot of eyes on me. Critics, but also a lot of younger generation people looking up to me, so I'm conscious of that," he said, adding, "I want to use my platform the right way and try to impact people."
Lawrence also noted that it was important to him that politics be kept out of his activism. "I want to see the advancement of all people. I want people to be equal. That's where I stand, so I felt like some of the things I've done are the best ways I can support my teammates. ... I love my friends and I see they're hurting; so how can I support them emotionally and publicly?"
Criticism isn't a problem for Trevor Lawrence
Being one of the most popular players in college football can have drawbacks that have nothing to do with football. Whether it be taking part in a Black Lives Matter protest or taking a phone call from Donald Trump, Trevor Lawrence has taken proverbial fire from both sides during his time at Clemson. "I just really tried to ignore it," Lawrence told Sports Illustrated, adding, "I know who I am, and just stick to who I am, regardless of what some random person online says that really doesn't really matter. So just keeping that perspective, it can be hard though for sure."
Lawrence also wants everyone to know that "football is just a game" and there are "other things that are more important" in his life. However, due to social media being a hot take factory, Lawrence explains that he has learned to "answer questions certain ways" to minimize controversy. "I don't want to give anyone more fuel to take things out of context so I'm, I'm really careful about that," he continued.
Lawrence's head coach Dabo Swinney described his star player to SI as "authentic" and "genuine," and said he has a "thick skin" to deal with the "thumb gangsters" on the internet. "He's not trying to be right. He's not trying to make other people wrong," Swinney said, adding, "He's just trying to be who he is."
Meet Bella Martina, the Trevor Lawrence doppelganger who went viral
In late 2019, Atlanta teen Bella Martina became a TikTok sensation when her videos imitating some of Trevor Lawrence's well-known photos went viral. The videos eventually found their way to Lawrence, who was asked about them by reporters. "It's crazy," Lawrence laughed. "That one girl actually does look a lot like me so it's kinda crazy, but it's funny."
Martina was surprised by her new found fame. "I really honestly didn't expect it to blow up at all. Like, it was really something that my volleyball team was egging me on about, they were like, 'You have to make this, it's so funny,'" she told Fox Carolina News. "And I was like, you know what, I'll just make it for them just so they could get a laugh out of it." She added that she "audibly gasped" in the middle of class when she learned Lawrence reacted to the video and stated she would love to do a TikTok with him "if he would be up for a video," but said she would just want to "thank him for being such a good sport through this whole thing."
Martina finally got to meet Lawrence before Clemson's game against Wake Forest on Nov. 16, 2019. TikTok dreams coming true, guys.
This young couple is already making an impact together
In March 2020, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trevor Lawrence and his high school sweetheart, Marissa Mowry (pictured above), started a GoFundMe to help those who were financially impacted by the virus. Unfortunately, due to NCAA rules "that prohibit student-athletes from using name, image and likeness for crowd funding efforts," the couple had to take it down (via The State).
However, the NCAA — we assume not wanting to look like the bad guy — allowed Lawrence and Mowry to continue to fundraise for those in need. "SOURCE: The NCAA has reached out to Clemson about Trevor Lawrence's fundraiser and told them the NCAA will allow university discretion on charities that support the community during this crisis," sports reporter Pete Thamel tweeted.
So with that out of the way, the couple created the Trevor Lawrence and Marissa Mowry COVID-19 Relief Fund to help families "deal with some of the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 situation." In a statement on the fund's website, Lawrence said, "Marissa and I have created the Fund to help our friends and neighbors in the Cartersville and Upstate South Carolina communities. ... We hope others will join us in supporting the many families in need. These are challenging times, and no one should be left behind."
Trevor Lawrence made a dramatic proposal
A few months after starting a COVID-19 relief fund together, Trevor Lawrence and Marissa Mowry agreed to spend forever together. And what better place for Lawrence to rack up another win than the place he's been winning for three years now? Lawrence proposed to his longtime girlfriend at midfield inside Clemson's Memorial Stadium.
"Easiest YES of my life!!! I love you always Trevor," Mowry posted to Instagram, accompanying photos of their engagement. Lawrence made his own post with the caption, "FOREVER. You're everything I've dreamed of. I love you and can't wait to marry you. #ENGAGED."
So how did he pull it off? "It was awesome. I was super nervous. I told Marissa we were doing graduation pictures," Lawrence told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi (via 247Sports). "We went out on the field. ... We were out on the field and we had one of our team photographers taking our pictures. It seems a little bit cliché but Clemson in general has meant so much to both of us and our story." He said it was cliché not us.
Faith is more important than football for Trevor Lawrence
A staunch Christian, Trevor Lawrence never misses an opportunity to discuss his faith. And even before he took a snap as Clemson's starting quarterback, Lawrence made sure everyone knew where he stood on the matter. "I put my identity in what Christ says, who He thinks I am and who I know that He says I am. Like I said, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what people think about me or how good they think I play," he said during a press conference in 2018. "That's definitely been a big thing for me, in my situation, just knowing that and having confidence in that."
During a 2019 interview with Sports Illustrated, Lawrence stated his talents on the field were a gift. "I don't think anyone has abilities for no reason," he said, adding, "I don't think anything is coincidence. God gave me these things for a reason, not just talent on the field, but other opportunities to be a light to people."
Lawrence stated that the summer between high school and college was the time that truly cemented his faith. "I think I was truly saved last summer. It's been a cool journey," he explained. "I didn't really know who I was outside of being this football player that was supposed to be good and play his freshman year. But who am I outside of that? I didn't really know."
A single win crushed the New York Jets' Trevor Lawrence dreams
For almost the entirety of the New Yorks Jets' 2020 season they were a mortal lock to select Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft due to their abysmal 0-13 record. That all changed on December 20, when the NFL's worst team pulled off a shocking upset of the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams to avoid a winless season. But was the win worth it? In beating the Rams, the Jets dropped to #2 in the draft behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and lost their chance to take a franchise-changing quarterback of the future.
While up 23-20 in the fourth quarter, Jets punter Braden Mann made a game-saving tackle to preserve the win. Instead of celebrating the avoidance of a blank season, Jets fans blamed Mann for costing the franchise Lawrence. "I got a few messages like that," he said (via NBC Sports). "But whoever says something like that, I don't think they ever tried to compete at something like this. For us, we get paid to play. We get paid to win." He added, "I couldn't care less about the social media reaction, to be honest with you."
Even Jets legend Joe Namath said the win possibly cost them their future. "I'm not trying to talk down about Sam Darnold," Namath said on Inside The NFL of the Jets' current quarterback (via the New York Post). "But this guy from Clemson, Lawrence, he's special. He's very special."