Room to Grow: Trevor Lawrence says Clemson's 2018 can be the best ever

Lawrence throws a pass Sunday at The Opening (Photo by David Grooms)

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Mon May 08 07:01:02 GMT-04:00 2017

CHARLOTTE, NC – Room to grow.

Top-rated quarterback Trevor Lawrence was in Charlotte Sunday for Nike’s The Opening, and he walked away from the combine with MVP honors, an invite to The Opening in Oregon and an invite to the Elite 11.

It’s hard to think that a quarterback who stands 6-6 and is earning praise from across the country has room to grow, but Lawrence is the type of competitor that is never satisfied. He knows he will have to play even better once the competition gets better, and he knows there is room to grow. He feels the same way about Clemson’s 2018 recruiting class, which is already stellar but has room to grow.

Lawrence spoke with TigerNet before the start of competition Sunday, and he broke down what led him to commit to Clemson last December.

“I knew about a week before I committed. It was everybody and all of the people there and the vibe I got when I was there,” Lawrence said. “It felt like home. I knew it was the place for me. It was just the people, they were great. The facilities are great now. They've got everything there now that I want.”

He then said that he stays in constant contact with Clemson’s coaches and hopes to be back on campus this summer.

“It's really good. I talk to them once every other week or more than that,” Lawrence said. “I'll probably go up there once or twice this summer.”

While Lawrence is preparing for the Elite 11 and making the camp circuit, he’s also been one of Clemson’s best recruiters, along with number one defensive player Xavier Thomas. However, he knows better than to cross the line and tries to let recruits like Jamaree Salyer, Justyn Ross, Jackson Carman, Trey Hill, Jordyn Adams, and Darnell Jefferies make their own decisions.

“I try to text them, but I don't want to bother them too much,” he said. “We're friends. I was in that situation, so I know what it's like, but I text them every now and then.”

Lawrence thinks the 2018 class has a chance to be one of the best.

“It's awesome. We want to build it even bigger,” he said. “We've got a chance to be one of the best classes ever, so hopefully, we can keep building that up and have a good four years there. We have kind of a small class, but we can hold 15, and we've got eight so we’ve got room to grow.

“I feel like we have a good chance with everybody. I think what they have to offer is better than anywhere else, personally. I think anyone who visits has a good chance of going there.”

He does enjoy recruiting other players more than he enjoyed being recruited.

“I'm enjoying it now more than when I was actually getting recruited,” Lawrence said. “It's not as bad now, and it's a lot more laid back, and I don't have to do as many interviews, so I like it a lot better now.”

Just because he’s committed to Clemson doesn’t mean other schools have stopped trying to recruit him. In recent days, Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart have stopped by Cartersville to say hello.

What was their message to Lawrence?

“It's just like if I ever change my mind, they want me to contact them,” Lawrence said. “I just tell them that I'm pretty firmly committed, but that if I ever changed my mind, I'd get in contact. That's pretty much what I tell everybody. But…...the chance of me changing my mind is not very high.”

Lawrence watched Clemson’s spring game, and he knows he has a chance to get to Clemson and push for immediate playing time.

“I'm really excited. I've got one more semester of school, and I'm graduating early, and then I'll be there,” he said. “I think I can compete with anybody. I think I have a chance, but they have some pretty good quarterbacks there, so I'll have to compete, but I think I have a chance.”