Clemson Alum Trevor Lawrence Has Team Poised For Deep NFL Playoff Run

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence got his start with the Clemson Tigers, and his foundation is now allowing him to give his team its best chance at a championship yet.

He is coming off a Week 18 win over the Tennessee Titans, 41-7, that saw Lawrence finish with a 131.9 passer rating on the day. The former Clemson standout finished with 255 yards and three touchdowns, completing over 70% of his passes.

Following the win, which won the AFC South for the first time since 2022-23, he had a moment that etched himself in Jacksonville fandom. After a viral AI photo of the quarterback wearing a grill in his mouth and Jaguars gear went all over social media, it came true. His former teammate at Clemson, Darien Rencher, gave Lawrence the custom mouth jewelry to celebrate the historic season.

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/xADu4dTs9A
— z - Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 4, 2026

“So, I think there was some guys from the team, and then I think somehow my wife might have been involved in that, getting my teeth measurements or something, because it fit, so something’s going on there,” Lawrence said about the gimmick. “But, pretty funny, just it’s been awesome this year with the team and just how close we are.”

Lawrence and the Jaguars finished the regular season with a 13-4 record, winning nine more games than last season’s team did. That’s the second most in franchise history, only winning one game less than Jacksonville’s 1999-2000 team.

The former No. 1 overall pick had the best season of his career in his fifth season in the NFL. Lawrence set career-highs in passing touchdowns (29), QBR (58.3), rushing yards (359 and rushing touchdowns (9) this season. Under first-year head coach Liam Coen, the Jaguars surged on offense, being sixth in the league in points per game (27.9) last season.

As the NFL Wild Card round begins this weekend, Lawrence’s team will host a playoff game against a tough opponent. Reigning MVP Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will look to come into town and thwart one of the most exciting stories in football this season.

Lawrence was a seasoned veteran in the playoffs in college, making three-straight College Football Playoff appearances with the Tigers from 2018-20. He went to the national championship twice and won it in his freshman season in 2018 to cap off one of the best seasons in Clemson history.

Those that followed the former standout in the Clemson Orange and Regalia know that the season that Lawrence has been having is not a one-off. He finished with three seasons of 3,000-yard seasons under head coach Dabo Swinney. He’s also been a winner, his 34-2 record at school is the third-best winning percentage by a starting quarterback with at least 30 starts.

He has been unlocked by Coen, an elite playcaller, and hopes that this journey does not end in Jacksonville on Sunday just yet. He takes a saying that Swinney constantly echoes when the Tigers are playing well.

“The fun is in the winning.”

“I mean, Coach Swinney used to say it all the time,” Lawrence said on Wednesday. “I mean, it’s so true, and, you know, we’re all very fortunate to play this game, and it’s a fun game. .the reason why you play is to win as a team and to put all this work into collectively doing something together.”

Kickoff for that game is at 1 p.m. from EverBank Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on CBS.