Trevor Lawrence On Tua Tagovailoa Injury: 'Anything can happen'
CLEMSON — Clemson starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa have only faced each other on the field once in their careers, the 2018 College Football National Championship.
But a summer spent at the prestigious Manning Academy gave the two quarterbacks an opportunity to bond in a way few would have anticipated.
"Obviously our faith is something that we’re connected, so we talked about that a lot. He’s a great dude and hopefully I’ll see him again in the future," Lawrence said. "We’re in similar situations and it’s always good and beneficial to talk to guys that are in similar situations and see how they do things and how their life is.
"We got to talk and it was just cool talking to him. We’re going through the same things. And just hearing how he deals with it and some of the cool stuff that he’s been able to do speaking at different things. And kind of how he stays levelheaded with all that stuff was really cool.
Both quarterbacked elite programs to the heights of college football success, and had a budding rivalry forming after the Tigers 44-16 win in the 2018 national championship game.
But any thought of another Trevor-Tua game, or Clemson-Alabama CFP matchup, went out the window Saturday, when Tagovailoa's season came to an end after suffering a season-ending injury against Mississippi State.
When Lawrence saw Tagovailoa's injury, he knew it was time for him to reach out to his rival—not with words of wisdom about the football field, but with words of peace and encouragement.
"I mean, I just hate it for him. I met him over the summer and I wouldn't say we're super close, but we're definitely friends," Lawrence said. "I send him a text every now and then. I shot him a text when I saw it, and just praying for him and his family. But it's just a hard situation because I see what Coach Saban's trying to do. It's only the second quarter, trying to get some reps. So I understand it, but it's also really unfortunate and sucks that happened. But definitely praying for him and I hate it for him."
Lawrence added that, while seeing a friends college career come to an end the way that Tagovailoa's did may make some people play scared, it only serves to remind him to cherish every second he has on the field.
"I think the biggest thing is that to enjoy and appreciate every moment because you never know when something can happen," Lawrence said. "It's, obviously, a violent game and you just never know. Anything can happen at any given moment. So, just appreciate it and enjoy it."
