Lawrence Opens up on Etienne's Return, His Future
CLEMSON—Trevor Lawrence followed up an undefeated and National Championship winning freshman campaign with another 14 straight wins and a second consecutive College Football Playoff National Championship game appearance.
Lawrence is currently tied the odds-on-favorites to win the 2020 Heisman Trophy, so the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder is the clear-cut starter heading into the spring.
This season marks the second time that Lawrence will enter a season with the eyes of the country on him, as he entered the 2019 season as the favorite to win the award. But last season, saw the pressure of being the favorite get to Lawrence, as he struggled through the first five games of the season before turning his play around — finishing the season with flurry that had many wondering if he wasn’t the best quarterback in the nation.
However, for Lawrence the biggest news of the short offseason was not his already massive celebrity status, it was the return of his backfield mate, and fellow Heisman Trophy candidate, running back Travis Etienne—who decided to return for his senior season.
The news of which made Lawrence's day.
"Obviously, I was happy," Lawrence said. "We talked a little bit. I can't remember exactly when. We just kind of had some private conversations before he decided what he was going to do. So I kind of thought he might come back, but I wasn't sure. I thought he'd end up last second deciding he was leaving. But man, it's awesome to have him back obviously."
Etienne enters 2020 as the ACC’s all-time career leader in rushing touchdowns (56), total touchdowns (62) and points by a non-kicker (372). He earned ACC Player of the Year honors for the second straight season in 2019, becoming the first running back to collect the award in back-to-back years in more than four decades (Mike Voight in 1975-76).
In 2019, Etienne became the first 4,000-yard career rusher in Clemson history. He joined NC State’s Ted Brown, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, North Carolina’s Amos Lawrence, Maryland’s LaMont Jordan, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, Georgia Tech’s Robert Lavette, Wake Forest’s Chris Barclay and Boston College’s AJ Dillon to become only the ninth 4,000-yard rusher in ACC history.
Etienne finished seventh in the Heisman voting in 2018 and ninth in 2019.
The return of Etienne not only, all but, guarantees he will cement himself as the greatest running backs in school history, but will also give him a chance to go out the way that every athlete dreams of—a national champion.
"Speaking for himself, what he's done. But just a great guy. I think it's a good opportunity for him to build his leadership and I mean everyone's looking at him now, especially on this team. He's a big leader for us. I think it would be good for him to come back, grow a little bit more, work on his game and then also get another chance to go win a National Championship."
Lawrence, who many draft experts have pegged as the No. 1 prospect in the 2021 draft, gave Tiger fans a glimmer of hope that he may make the same decision as Etienne and return to Clemson—even though he is not thinking about that decision yet.
"I think about it a little bit and the possibilities in the future, but especially not now. I've got too much going," Lawrence said. "We're getting back going. That's something to think about when the season's over. For me, I mean, I still got at least one more season, or maybe two. So it's just, it's still a ways away. You kind of have to start thinking about things, but also getting smarter, just being in the moment and really enjoying it now too."
