Four Tigers projected as 2019 All-Americans by ESPN |
Four Tigers were tabbed
as projected All-Americans for the 2019 season by ESPN Thursday.
That group is led by rising sophomore Trevor Lawrence, over Heisman runner-up and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Lawrence outshined Tagovailoa head-to-head in the Tigers’ dominating win for a second national title in three seasons, earning the Archie Griffin Award for the most valuable player in college football. He passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns on one of the top-ranked defenses in Alabama. Also on the offensive side are ACC player of the year Travis Etienne and offensive guard John Simpson. “Since he first arrived at Clemson two years ago, Etienne has averaged 7.8 yards per carry and rushed for 37 touchdowns,” ESPN’s David Hale wrote. “Those are some pretty insane numbers, but here's an even more impressive tidbit: If you counted only his runs of 25 yards or more (he has 25 of them), he has run for 1,037 yards in two seasons with the Tigers.” In a season of transition on the defensive side, rising sophomore Xavier Thomas is projected as an All-American. Thomas was also tabbed as a breakout player for 2019 by Athlon “This pick is a combination of talent and history, which suggests Thomas is about to become a superstar,” Hale said. “Thomas' reps were limited behind longtime starters Austin Bryant and Clelin Ferrell, but he still finished with 10.5 tackles for loss and four QB hurries, and his sack of Syracuse's Eric Dungey proved to be one of the Tigers' season highlights. Then remember this: Clemson has finished top 10 nationally in sacks for five consecutive seasons.” Etienne, as well as departing defensive linemen Clelin Ferrell and Christian Wilkins made ESPN’s 2018 All-American team. Lawrence and Thomas were honored as freshman All-Americans.
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