Swinney says the Lord was "in a good mood" when He made Trevor Lawrence

Swinney congratulates Lawrence during the win over Notre Dame.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sun Apr 25 08:01:03 GMT-04:00 2021

Dabo Swinney doesn’t back down from hyperbole, and it was in full effect during a recent interview when he said that God was in a good mood when He made Trevor Lawrence.

Swinney was a guest during Thursday's Sports Spectrum Draft Special. Swinney joined the online special, which was hosted by FOX Sports analyst Brock Huard, to talk about the draft and Lawrence.

Lawrence is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick – the first in Clemson history – during Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft. Lawrence concluded his career 34-2 (.944) as a starter, the third-best winning percentage by a starting quarterback with at least 30 career starts since Division I split in 1978, trailing only Miami’s Ken Dorsey (.950) and USC’s Matt Leinart (.949), according to ESPN Stats & Info. He exited as the winningest starting quarterback in Clemson history, surpassing the 32 career wins held by Rodney Williams, Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson.

“He’s special, man,” Swinney said during the interview. “The good Lord was in a good mood when He made him. He must have had football on His mind that day, because, man, you look up the epitome of quarterback and he’s just the poster child of every area.”

Lawrence completed 758-of-1138 career passes (66.6 percent) for 10,098 yards with 90 touchdowns and 17 interceptions for a pass efficiency rating for 164.26 in 2,237 snaps over 40 career games (36 starts). He also rushed 231 times for 943 career rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, the fifth-most career rushing touchdowns by a Clemson quarterback in the modern era, and finished his career undefeated as a starter in regular season play and did not lose a regular-season game at either the high school or collegiate levels.

Lawrence also made five career College Football Playoff starts, tying Jalen Hurts for the most by a quarterback and setting the record for the most at a single program. He exited with Clemson career records in career winning percentage (.944), pass efficiency rating (164.3), yards per passing attempt (8.87) and tying for the most wins against Top 25 opponents (nine).

“If there’s 100 boxes on the wish list of a quarterback, he checks them all,” Swinney said. “He’s got size. He’s tough. He’s a leader. He’s smart. He prepares. He loves to prepare. He’s a grinder. He’s humble. Even though he looks like Hollywood, there’s no Hollywood in him. He’s low maintenance. He’s a great teammate. He can make every throw you could possibly want him to.”

Swinney said that Lawrence leans on his faith, and that sets him apart from other players.

“What I love about him more than anything is that he’s faith-driven,” Swinney said. “He’s built his life on a foundation of faith. Great mom and dad. Great people around him, but he’s strong in his faith. He’s an inside-out kid in this world of outside-in.”

As much as Lawrence has accomplished, however, he hasn’t dealt with the pressure of being a No. 1 pick or trying to save and NFL franchise. It’s all brand new territory for the Georgia native. As a result, Swinney has a bit of advice for his former quarterback.

“He’s obviously stepping into a very, very bright light,” Swinney said. “I’ll tell him just like I tell the team: Don’t ever let the light on you become brighter than the light in you. That’s the first thing — stay connected. I’ll be specific with him: just be Trevor. Things that have made you successful, in high school and [at Clemson], the same things are going to make you successful there. Just be who you are. Be who God created you to be.”