From his sophomore year to his senior year, Lawrence led the Purple Hurricanes to 41 straight victories, winning two state championships and four region titles while also receiving numerous national high school player of the year honors. In 2017, Lawrence broke the
Georgia state record for passing yards and passing
touchdowns, which were previously held by
Deshaun Watson of Gainesville, who also played for
Clemson.[5][6]
Lawrence was a five-star recruit who was regarded as one of the best high school quarterback prospects of all time.[7][8][9][10] On December 16, 2016, he committed to
Clemson University to play college football.[11][12]
Lawrence threw for 3,280 passing yards and 30 touchdowns on the season, and was awarded the National Freshman of the Year and
Archie Griffin Award by the
Touchdown Club of Columbus.[17] He was also awarded ACC Rookie of the Year honors.[18]
Returning for his sophomore year with the Tigers, Lawrence was named preseason ACC Player of the Year and was considered a leading candidate for the
Heisman Trophy.[19] Relatively inconsistent play in the early part of the season all but lost Lawrence the Heisman Trophy race, but he led FBS in
passer rating over the final half of the regular season and ended seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.[20][21] Lawrence helped lead Clemson to an undefeated regular season and an
ACC Championship Game victory over
Virginia, which gave them the No. 3 ranking in the final College Football Playoff rankings.[22][23] In the
2019 Fiesta Bowl against
Ohio State, he had 259 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 16 rushes for 107 yards and a touchdown in the 29–23 victory that brought them to the national championship game for the second consecutive year.[24] Lawrence lost the first game of his career in the
CFP Championship Game against
LSU, as Clemson snapped its 29-game winning streak and lost 42–25. Lawrence posted the worst passer rating of his career as he only completed 18 of 37 passes for 234 yards and zero passing touchdowns in the game.[25][26]
Lawrence returned for his junior season with the Tigers. In his first six games of the season, Lawrence threw for 1,833 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. On October 30, 2020, Lawrence tested positive for
COVID-19, which resulted in a 10-day quarantine, per
ACC protocols. As a result, he missed two games before returning.[27] Clemson lost one of those two games, to
Notre Dame.[28] After Lawrence returned to the team, he helped guide the Tigers back to the ACC Championship Game by finishing in second in the division-less format adopted for the 2020 season. They defeated Notre Dame in the rematch in the conference title game with Lawrence starting at quarterback, and were selected to a spot in the College Football Playoff.[29] In the CFP semi-final, the
Sugar Bowl, Lawrence and the Tigers lost to
Ohio State.[30]
Lawrence finished his final season with the Tigers 231-of-334 for 3,153 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions.[31] He was named ACC Player of the Year, and finished in second in voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Alabama wide receiver
DeVonta Smith.[32] After the season, Lawrence would be the men's recipient of the
ACC Athlete of the Year award across all conference sports, sharing honors with women's recipient Charlotte North of
Boston College lacrosse.[33]
After undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Lawrence was officially selected first overall by the
Jacksonville Jaguars, who finished with a league-worst 1–15 record the previous season.[44][45][46] He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $36.8 million with a $24.1 million signing bonus, on July 5, 2021.[47]
Ahead of the final week of preseason, Lawrence was named the Jaguars' starting quarterback for 2021.[48][49] Making his NFL debut against the
Houston Texans, he finished with 332 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in a 37–21 defeat. The loss was Lawrence's first in a regular season game.[50] In his second game against the
Denver Broncos, he threw a touchdown pass on the opening drive, but completed only eight of 25 passes afterwards and was intercepted twice as the Jaguars lost 23–13.[51] Lawrence had a stronger performance when he faced the
Cincinnati Bengals in the Week 4 Thursday Night Football matchup, completing 17 of 24 passes for 204 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown, also making it his first NFL game without an interception. Despite his efforts, the Jaguars lost 24–21.[52]
Lawrence won his first NFL game in Week 6 against the
Miami Dolphins, throwing for 319 yards and a touchdown during the 23–20 victory. Having played the game at
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he became the first NFL rookie to win in London. The victory was also the Jaguars' first since Week 1 of the 2020 season, ending a 20-game losing streak.[53]
Following a 31–7 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks, Lawrence took part in the season's biggest upset when he helped the 15.5-point underdog Jaguars defeat the
Buffalo Bills 9–6.[54] However, the victory began a stretch that saw Lawrence throw only two touchdown passes in nine games, including seven games without any touchdowns, while having eight interceptions.[55] The Jaguars also went on an eight-game losing streak, dropping them to the league's worst record for a second consecutive year. Nevertheless, Lawrence concluded the season with his strongest performance in Week 18, completing 23 of 32 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns to secure a 26–11 upset over the
Indianapolis Colts.[56]
Lawrence finished second in rookie passing yards behind
Mac Jones with 3,641, but also had a league-high 17 interceptions.[57][58]
After losing to the
Washington Commanders in the season opener, Lawrence won his next two games against the Colts and
Los Angeles Chargers, throwing for a combined 497 yards and five touchdowns.[59][60] The latter also marked Lawrence's first road victory and earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[61][62] However, the Jaguars went on a five-game losing streak, during which Lawrence completed 57.8% of his passes for 1,068 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions.[63] He also had two games without any touchdown passes.[64][65] The losing streak ended with a Week 9 victory over the
Las Vegas Raiders, which saw Lawrence help Jacksonville overcome a 20–10 halftime deficit to win 27–20.[66]
The Week 9 victory kicked off the Jaguars winning seven of their last nine games, with Lawrence throwing for 2,273 yards, 15 touchdowns, and two interceptions. During this period, he led a game-winning drive against the
Baltimore Ravens in the final two minutes of their Week 12 matchup and helped overcome a 17-point third quarter deficit in Week 15 to defeat the
Dallas Cowboys in overtime.[67][68][69] Lawrence was also named AFC Player of the Week in Week 14 after completing 30 of 42 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns and scoring a rushing touchdown in a 36–22 victory over the
Tennessee Titans.[70] In the season finale against the Titans to determine the
AFC South, he completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards and one touchdown to win 20–16 and clinch the Jaguars' first division title since 2017.[71]
During the
Wild Card round against the Chargers, Lawrence threw four interceptions in the first half, three of which were in the first quarter, which contributed to the Chargers taking a 27–0 lead.[72][73] However, Lawrence rebounded by throwing a touchdown pass before halftime and completing 18 of 23 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to secure the 31–30 victory.[74] The Jaguars' 27-point comeback was the third-largest in NFL history.[75] The next week against the eventual
Super Bowl LVII champion
Kansas City Chiefs in the
Divisional Round, Lawrence completed 24 of 39 passes for 217 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the 27–20 loss, marking his first defeat on a Saturday.[76]
Lawrence finished the 2022 season with 4,113 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 66.3 completion percentage, all noted improvements from his rookie campaign. For his performance, he was named as an alternate to the
2023 Pro Bowl and was the first Jaguars quarterback to receive Pro Bowl honors since
David Garrard in 2009.[77] He was ranked 96th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.[78]
In the season opener, Lawrence completed 24 of 32 passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in a 31–21 victory against the Colts.[79][80] In Week 2, Lawrence completed 22 of 41 attempts for 216 yards in a 17–9 defeat against the Chiefs.[81] In the following week against the Texans, Lawrence threw for 279 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 37–17 loss.[82] In Week 4 against the
Atlanta Falcons at
Wembley Stadium, Lawrence completed 23 of 30 attempts for 207 yards and a touchdown in a 23–7 victory.[83] In the following week, at
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Lawrence went 25-of-37 for 315 yards and a touchdown, beating the Bills 25–20, despite losing two fumbles.[84] Returning to
Jacksonville in Week 6 against the Indianapolis Colts, Lawrence completed 20 of 30 passes including two touchdowns and an interception in a 37–20 victory.[85][86] Lawrence left the game late with a sprained left knee.[85][87] In Week 7 against the
New Orleans Saints, despite still being hampered by his sprained left knee, Lawrence completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and one touchdown to secure a 31–24 victory.[87] In Week 8, Lawrence completed 24 of 32 passes for 292 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 20–10 victory against the
Pittsburgh Steelers.[88][89]
After the
bye week, Lawrence threw for 185 yards and two interceptions, and lost a fumble in a 34–3 defeat against the
San Francisco 49ers.[90][91] Lawrence bounced back from his poor performance against the Titans, completing 24 of 32 attempts for 262 yards and two touchdowns, plus rushing for another two touchdowns to secure a 34–14 victory.[92][93][94] Lawrence was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance in Week 11.[94] In Week 13 against the Bengals, Lawrence completed 22 of 29 passes for 259 yards, two passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown before suffering an ankle sprain in the fourth quarter. Lawrence was helped off the field and did not return as the Jaguars went on to lose 34–31 in overtime.[95] Despite the ankle sprain, Lawrence played the following week in a 31–27 loss to the
Cleveland Browns, where he threw three touchdowns and three interceptions.[96]
In Week 15, Lawrence struggled in a 23–7 loss on Sunday Night Football versus the
Baltimore Ravens, and in Week 16, Lawrence suffered a shoulder injury in a 30–12 loss to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[97] Lawrence did not play in a Week 17 win versus the
Carolina Panthers, marking the first missed game in his NFL career.[98] In his return in Week 18 against the Titans, Lawrence was intercepted twice, and the Jaguars also turned the ball over on downs three times as they lost to the Titans 28–20, finishing the season having lost five of their final six games and missing the playoffs.[99] Lawrence finished the season with 4,016 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions through 16 games played as he dealt with four separate injuries.[100]
Lawrence is
Baptist.[101][102] He is noted for his long blond hair.[103][104][105] On April 10, 2021, Lawrence married Marissa Mowry, whom he had been dating since high school.[106][107] Lawrence's older brother, Chase, is a visual artist for whom Trevor has posed.[108]
In 2021, Lawrence, among other high-profile athletes and celebrities, was a paid spokesperson for
FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange. In November 2022,
FTX filed for bankruptcy, wiping out billions of dollars in customer funds. Lawrence, alongside other spokespeople, is currently being sued for promoting unregistered securities through a
class-action lawsuit.[109][110]
References
^Birchfield, Jeff (December 5, 2018).
"Freshman Sensation: East Tennessee native Lawrence leads Clemson to playoff". Johnson City Press. Retrieved September 2, 2019. His older brother Chase was born in Johnson City and Trevor in Knoxville, they lived in Washington County before his family moved to Cartersville, Georgia.