Will COVID-19 Cost Trevor Lawrene a Heisman Trophy? 

By Zachary Wagner

It’s ironic isn’t it? The player with the largest voice leading the charge for college football to be played this fall, is also the player that will have the most to lose because of COVID-19. Last Thursday, Trevor Lawrence and the Clemson Football Team announced that the star quarterback had tested positive for the virus, and would miss the Tigers upcoming game against Boston College. 

After the Tigers 34-28 win over the Eagles, Head Football Coach Dabo Swinney announced that the junior would also miss Clemson’s next game as well. a top-5 matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

With Lawrence missing multiple weeks of the shortened 11-game ACC schedule for the 2020 “COVID” season, how does that translate to Clemson winning its first ever Heisman Trophy? 

According to Heisman odds, Lawrence still leads in the Heisman race, but is being quickly caught up to by Alabama’s Mac Jones and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. While Lawrence sits in his isolation period, both Jones and Fields threw for four touchdowns in their teams wins on Saturday. 

Although Lawrence has already thrown for 1800 plus yards this season and 17 touchdowns, missing two games in an already shortened season, might prove costly for the eventual #1 draft pick in next year’s draft. 

It also might prove costly for his team, as now they will have to face the toughest task of the season, on the road, with its backup quarterback. The Tigers will have to once again rely on its true freshman, former five-star quarterback from California, D.J. Uiagalelei. 

Uiagalelei played well in Clemson’s 18-point comeback win on Saturday over Boston College, but the Eagles don’t quite have the same talent on their defense as the Fighting Irish do. Notre Dame comes into this weekend’s contest with the sixth best defense in the nation, and have only given up six total touchdowns in 2020. 

Clemson might also be missing it’s leader on defense as well, James Skalski. It was evident the Tigers missed his leadership during it’s game on Saturday, letting up 21 first-half points. 

So how big will the absence of Trevor Lawrence be? Will COVID also keep Clemson and Lawrence from claiming the University’s first ever Heisman Trophy. Clemson came close in 2016 with Deshaun Watson (2nd to Louisville’s Lamar Jackson), but it almost seemed that the long-haired quarterback from Georgia had it locked and sealed in 2020. 

Lawrence will be available to play, pending a negative test and passing of the schools cardiac assessment, for the Tigers three last games (at Florida State, home against Pitt, at Virginia Tech) and will possibly have to catch up in the rankings if Jones and Fields keep up their level of play.