Lawrence, Burrow to Meet Again in Louisiana

When Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow take the field on Jan. 13 in the national championship game in New Orleans, it won’t be the first time their paths have crossed.

The Clemson and LSU quarterbacks, respectively, met last summer at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

“We got to spend some time together. That was a fun week,” Burrow said during Thursday’s national championship game teleconference with LSU players. “We got to spend time with a lot of quarterbacks around the country.”

The academy annually puts on a youth clinic with 45 college quarterbacks serving as counselors, as well as former NFL greats Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning.

Lawrence and Burrow joined Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Virginia’s Bryce Perkins, Notre Dame’s Ian Book, Oregon’s Justin Herbert and Missouri’s Kelly Bryant, among others.

“So we got to hang out a little bit there, but that was my first time meeting him,” Lawrence said.

Both have gone on to have spectacular 2019 seasons, culminating in another meet and greet in Louisiana.

Burrow won the Heisman Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award last month. He’s recorded an astounding 5,208 passing yards and 55 touchdowns while completing 77.6 percent of his throws in leading LSU to an SEC title and a 14-0 mark.

“He’s had an unbelievable year,” Lawrence said. “What he’s done has been crazy. To be able to watch that has been cool. He’s a great player.”

Lawrence is impressed with Burrow’s pocket presence, accuracy and mobility, something Lawrence has been showing off lately as well.

“He can extend plays and has a really good feel for pressure and doesn't take too many sacks,” Lawrence said. “I like a lot of things about his game.”

Lawrence added that they didn’t get to spend much time getting to know each other at the Manning Passing Academy, but Burrow is impressed by what he’s seen from Lawrence.

The Clemson QB, who’s never lost a college game, has thrown for 3,431 yards and 36 touchdowns. As a sophomore, Lawrence has completed 67.6 percent of his passes and has added eight touchdowns on the ground while leading Clemson to an ACC title and 29 consecutive victories.

“He's a super fluid guy for how big he is,” Burrow said. “He's fun to watch. You can tell he's a great competitor, tough guy. I respect those kind of guys.”