Clemson Tigers starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence — the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy on college football’s No. 1 team and seen as the likely top pick of the 2021 NFL draft should he leave college early — has tested positive for Covid-19 and will not play in Saturday’s game against Boston College.
“Trevor has authorized us this evening to announce that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now in isolation,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said in a statement Thursday. “He is doing well with mild symptoms but will not be available for this week’s game against Boston College. While we certainly will miss Trevor, this is an opportunity for other guys to step up and we’re excited about competing against a very good BC team on Saturday. Go Tigers.”
Following Swinney’s statement, Lawrence, a junior, released his own statement on Twitter.
“I have tested positive for COVID-19, and my symptoms have been relatively mild while I’m following the protocol from Clemson and the ACC,” Lawrence said. “The only thing that hurts is missing an opportunity to be with my teammates this weekend and play the game I love. I hate that I can’t be there, but I’ll be watching from isolation and pulling for our guys while I wait for the opportunity to rejoin the team.”
Per guidelines from the Atlantic Coast Conference, which Clemson is a member of, a student-athlete who tests positive for Covid-19 shall be isolated for at least 10 days from the onset of symptoms or positive test before returning to football activity.
This means that Lawrence might also miss the team’s November 7 football game against undefeated No. 4 Notre Dame. Clemson is No. 1 in the polls at 6-0.
Lawrence has completed 70.7% of his passes for 17 touchdowns this season. He’s also rushed for four touchdowns.
Ahead of the 2020 college football season, when conferences were weighing whether to play amid the pandemic, Lawrence was one of the high-profile players to express support playing with the hashtag #WeWantToPlay.
“We really do feel safe here,” Lawrence told reporters in August. “Hopefully it’s like that everywhere … We feel safer here than anywhere else, honestly.”
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