Pitt coach has high praise for Clemson quarterback Lawrence
Pat Narduzzi is no NFL general manager, but if you’ll allow him to look ahead to, say, the 2021 draft, he already has one spot filled in on his big board: Quarterback, Clemson, Trevor Lawrence.
“This guy is a future firstround quarterback. Period,” Pitt’s fourth-year coach predicted Wednesday. “Number 1 pick, I think. He’s got the best release I’ve ever seen.”
Narduzzi is 52. He’s been a college football coach since 1990. Since arriving at Pitt, he has faced Lamar Jackson, Mitch Trubisky and another Clemson passer who tossed the ball around a little bit, Deshaun Watson. While running the defense at Michigan State, he game-planned for Marcus Mariota, Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford.
That’s a tally of four firstround selections, two first overall picks, two Heisman Trophy winners and a fourtime Pro Bowler. And yet, Narduzzi didn’t hesitate to heap high expectations on Clemson’s wunderkind freshman quarterback, who has been dealing with — and perhaps surpassing them — all season.
“The guy is just smooth,” Narduzzi said. “This guy’s really good. … It is like whoosh, it comes out of his hands.”
“Whoosh” might not be an
exact translation for Narduzzi’s use of onomatopoeia, but for describing Lawrence’s release, it’ll do. So would “zoom,” or “pewpew,” or … you get the idea.
Lawrence is 6 feet 6, 215 pounds now, but figures to add to his gangly frame once he’s had more than 11 months in Clemson’s program. He has long, blond hair that flows out the bottom of his helmet and almost makes him seem more caricature than real-life quarterback, even though he plays the part as well as he looks it. Think “Sunshine” from “Remember the Titans,” or maybe an amalgam of characters from “Dazed and Confused.” Rivals.com and 247Sports both ranked him as the No. 1 player in the 2018 recruiting class, regardless of position.
“Their quarterback’s got an excellent arm,” Pitt senior defensive tackle Shane Roy said. “I know he’s young and stuff, but he can probably throw the ball better than any quarterback I’ve seen. He’s got a quick release, so I’d say that’s probably the most impressive part.”
Those are just the tall tales about Lawrence, a native of Cartersville, Ga. Once you get into the stats, his resume speaks for itself.
Through 12 games of his college career, Lawrence has completed 200 of 302 passes for 2,488 yards and 22 touchdowns to just four interceptions. He didn’t become
Clemson’s starter until the fifth game of the season, alternating with veteran incumbent Kelly Bryant until then. Once coach Dabo Swinney named Lawrence his No. 1, Bryant transferred that same week.
“I mean, he can sling the rock,” Pitt middle linebacker Elias Reynolds said. “He’s a great quarterback. They’re the Number 2 team in the nation for a reason.”
Of course, it’s not all about Lawrence. Sophomore tailback Travis Etienne is the ACC’s leading rusher and Player of the Year, and opposing coaches have called him the fastest player on the field, offense or defense. All five of Clemson’s offensive linemen are upperclassmen, and the two leading receivers are 6-4 and “catch everything,” according to Narduzzi.
But Lawrence is worth eyeing Saturday night as perhaps being the key to it all for the dynamic Tigers. He has thrown for more than 250 yards in three consecutive games and five of his past six, but there’s still a chance that a player who just turned 19 last month might have some nerves on the biggest stage of his life so far, right?
“He doesn’t get rattled too much,” Narduzzi said. “You thought he might get rattled a little bit [last week] in that South Carolina game, big rivalry game, but he didn’t get rattled.”
Roy, who could do his part by trying to create penetration and flush Lawrence out of the pocket, wasn’t sure Wednesday how much of Lawrence’s success is his blocking versus his own precocious composure. The defensive linemen have been trying to find clips of Clemson’s offensive line breaking down, but that’s been difficult to do.
“Their O-line’s pretty sound,” Roy said. “We’re going to try to throw some stuff at them, maybe, but they’re going to be tough.”
Clemson has allowed just 13 sacks, fewer than all but 10 Football Bowl Subdivision teams, and it helps that Lawrence is statuesque but not a statue. He also averaged 10.5 yards on four rushes in last week’s 56-35 rout of South Carolina, including a 32-yard scamper.
Not that he’s ever really flustered, anyway.
“I mean, he’s just sitting back there, hanging on to the ball and throwing it where he wants to,” Narduzzi said. “He’s special. He’s really special.”