Clemson Legend Trevor Lawrence Lands Head-Turning Prediction

The Clemson Tigers are longing for their glory days, and quarterback Trevor Lawrence was certainly a big part of them.

Lawrence led Clemson to a national championship victory during his freshman campaign in 2018 and finished second in Heisman Trophy voting during his final season with the school in 2020. He was then selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-6 signal-caller was widely viewed as one of the best quarterback prospects ever at the time, but he has actually been a fairly significant disappointment over the first five seasons of his NFL career.

That changed a bit last year, when Lawrence threw for 4,007 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while leading the Jaguars to a 13-win campaign, and heading into 2026, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon feels that Lawrence will be an MVP candidate.

"Nobody's questioning Lawrence's talent. Now, he has the sensei," Gagnon wrote. "Does he have the requisite talent surrounding him? The jury's still out, especially if a now-healthy Travis Hunter is more of a corner than a wideout. 

"The reality is that a lack of oomph elsewhere on offense (including across the line) could work in Lawrence's favor for MVP consideration if he continues to improve under Coen and keeps the Jags in contention anyway. It could be the perfect storm."

Even last season, Lawrence was rather inconsistent and completed just 60.9 percent of his passes, but he definitely displayed signs of progress.

Whether or not he can finally take that next big step this fall remains to be seen.

The 26-year-old definitely has a solid group of weapons at his disposal, led by wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington. Tight end Brenton Strange looks like a potential stud, as well.

Jacksonville's running game is a bit questionable following the loss of Travis Etienne Jr., Lawrence's former Clemson teammate, but the Jaguars seem confident in Bhayshul Tuten.

Lawrence appeared to be on the verge of stardom following a tremendous sophomore campaign with the Jaguars in 2022, but he then had a couple of subpar seasons before finally bouncing back in 2025.

But in order for the Clemson product to truly live up to his sky-high expectations, he will have to be considerably better in 2026 and beyond.