Tiger fans can breathe easier now because after leaving last week’s game against Syracuse because of neck and head injuries, Tigers quarterback Trevor Lawrence is expected to play against Wake Forest on Saturday! Lawrence participated in practice Monday after he cleared concussion protocol, and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney revealed he expected the freshman to be in the lineup against the Demon Deacons (barring any setbacks). “That’s why I put him back in practice [Monday] night,” Swinney said to the media on Tuesday.
The 6’6″, 215-pound signal-caller left the Tigers’ game against the Orange—his first career start—late in the first half after being hit near the head. Red-shirt freshman Chase Brice then rallied his team to a 27-23 victory. Swinney made it clear his young passer must play smarter after he “got the crap knocked out of him.” He said: “He was out of control. I love the effort. But there’s times that you live for another play.”
Lawrence’s health is even more important to Clemson in the wake of Kelly Bryant’s departure. After Swinney informed Bryant last week Lawrence would start, the senior came out and told everyone he plans to transfer. As of Saturday, though, Bryant was still enrolled at Clemson, which means he might come back. Swinney told reporters and everyone who asked him that he would welcome back the senior QB back with open arms. Bryant was 16-2 as the Tigers’ starter.
With Lawrence’s status for the Wake Forest contest uncertain, Clemson was planning to give its backups practice snaps. Brice was going to take first-team reps, and Ben Batson and receiver Hunter Renfrow would’ve worked with the second team. I know Clemson fans are praying even harder for Lawrence to come back because they DON’T want another game like last week.