Trevor Lawrence: 'Obviously the Plan Has Been To Move On' And Declaration Decision Coming Soon

Clemson Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence has a looming decision to make: return to school for his senior year and final year of eligibility or declare for the 2021 NFL Draft.

Lawrence is the presumed No. 1 overall pick. The Jacksonville Jaguars own that first pick and therefore have been deemed the obvious landing spot for the junior passer.

Lawrence is a 2020 Heisman Trophy finalist and was interviewed ahead of the trophy presentation on Tuesday, being asked by SportsCenter host Kevin Negandhi if he had made a decision on declaring for the draft or staying in school.

While Lawrence alluded to leaving, saying that had always been the plan, he didn't actually declare just yet.

"I have some thoughts on it," Lawrence told Negandhi.

"I've been, honestly the last few days just taking a break, letting my mind rest. We've been going at it since July really, or I've been training since the spring, ever since COVID came around, just been working on my own. But we've been going hard since July without really many breaks so I've just been taking some rest with my friends, my fiancee and with my family now who's in town for the ceremony.

"So I've really just been resting. I have thought about obviously next steps a lot and there's a lot of things that go into it. And as I've said before, obviously the plan has been to move on and some stuff will be coming out here in the next day or so on my decision and that'll be made public pretty soon.

"So either way, it's been fun just to reflect on this past year and my three years here and it's been really special. Can't really hardly put into words how much I've enjoyed my time here, it's been awesome."

Trevor Lawrence’s full answer when asked about his decision to return to school or declare for the NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/jsGQxEpCHX
— Kassidy Hill (@KassidyGHill) January 5, 2021

The deadline to declare for the NFL Draft is January 18.

This is the first time in franchise history that Jacksonville owns the No. 1 overall pick. Jaguars owner Shad Khan told local reporters on Monday that the plan is to draft a franchise quarterback. That, according to many draft experts, is Lawrence.

"I think we have a great group of young players. Obviously we’re going to have a lead franchise quarterback. You can’t have a mindset [of] this is a rebuild and it’s going to take time, etc. We have to have a mindset [that] we’re building for the long haul, but you have to be able to win at the same time," said Khan.

"I think obviously developing a young quarterback, we’ve been very unsuccessful at that. [The] last eight years, we haven’t had a franchise quarterback, so I think that is very, very important."

Lawrence is 34-2 as a starter, having only lost in the College Football Playoffs (as a sophomore, to LSU in the Championship and as a junior to Ohio State in the semifinals). As a freshman, Lawrence defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide for the National Championship. This is the first time he has been a Heisman finalist, despite missing two games this season after testing positive for COVID-19.

The 2021 NFL Draft takes place April 29 through May 1, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.