Before the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Trevor Lawrence first overall in 2021, Trevor Lawrence was a winner among winners. He had a nearly perfect record at a high school level and later won 29 straight games at Clemson. However, he's dealt with somewhat of a drought the last four years. But as tough as things have been for No. 16, his collegue head coach is excited about what lies ahead.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made an apperance on 1010 and said that Lawrence's future is bright despite the challenges he's faced in the NFL.
"Yeah, well, he wins. If you know anything about Trevor Lawrence, just go back and look at his career," Swinney said when asked if Lawrence has grown frustrated with all the losing he's experienced in the NFL. "He's always won forever, this guy, but he lost one game in high school, maybe two. And anyway, he comes to Clemson and wins 29 straight right, back-to-back national championship games, three straight playoffs, three straight conference games. Second in the Heisman [voting]."
Swinney continued, "He's just always won. And so I definitely think there's been, there's been some challenges that he's had to deal with, and part of that's being in the NFL. I mean, how many undefeated teams have there been in the NFL? It's a different deal. And then, he's had some injuries. He was never a guy that really battled a lot of injuries, and he's had a couple of tough, tough breaks, but he's as tough as they come. And again, incredibly smart, incredibly gifted, and he's got a long future ahead of him, and I'm excited to watch it all play out."
Below is Swinney's full exchange on 1010 XL. He discusses several topics, but his remarks about Lawrence and the Jaguars begin at the 16-second mark.
As Swinney noted, Lawrence's transition to the NFL hasn't been smooth after previously winning so much. Dubbed a generational talent and the most-gifted quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck, the former Clemson Tiger hasn't lived up to expectations. However, he's dealt with lots of adversity that have prevented him from putting it all together.
Having Urban Meyer as the head coach and a subpar supporting cast as a rookie stalled Lawrence's growth. Doug Pederson took over in 2022, and he showed immediate improvement. Unfortunately, the then-Jaguars head coach became less involved in his development as time passed. The results were underwhelming, and the organization cleaned house after 2024.
Of course, coaching was far from the sole reason Lawrence struggled. As noted before, he's often had a mediocre team around him. To make matters worse, he's dealt with a myriad of injuries the past two seasons. That's led to chatter (some of it valid, plenty of it senseless) that he's a bust. The good news is that things are taking a positive turn.
Why the future is bright for Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are aware that they haven't put Trevor Lawrence in a position to succeed in previous years, so they brought in a general manager and head coach who can squeeze every ounce of talent out of him. The groundwork is promising.
Head coach Liam Coen had success as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator. Their running game went from one of the worst in the league to a top-5 unit. Similarly, he helped Baker Mayfield post career highs in several meaningful categories. He's expected to have a similar kind of impact for Lawrence.
On the other hand, general manager James Gladstone has done a good job revamping the roster. In particular, he's beefed up the offensive line and bolstered Lawrence's arsenal of weapons. Of course, he's also made upgrades to the defense, so the Jags don't have to score 30 points to win a football game. Dabo Swinney is certainly pleased with the changes Jacksonville has made.
"I think they put some good pieces, obviously, Travis Hunter, wow! That's gonna be fun. What an amazing young talent he is coming in there, and it sounds like they get an offensive line where it needs to be. But I do not know his new head coach, but obviously, Trevor. Trevor, super excited, and I think that's they've gotten off to a great start. From a relationship standpoint," Swinney said.
Ultimately, it's easy to see where Dabo Swinney's optimism comes from. Although the Jaguars haven't won much in recent years, the new regime will lean on Trevor Lawrence to turn things around.