Trevor Lawrence, NFL draft's top prospect, reiterates that he wants to play college football this year
There is likely no active player in college football with more to look forward to as a professional than Trevor Lawrence. He still doesn’t want to give up on another year with Clemson.
The Tigers quarterback posted a tweet on Saturday that thousands of fellow players likely agree with:
I don’t know about y’all, but we want to play.
— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 8, 2020
The tweet reiterates what Lawrence told reporters on Friday after practice, via ESPN:
"Everyone's thought about it, but since I made the decision to play, I haven't thought about it," Lawrence said. "I'm committed. It's my last year here ... and I'm super pumped."
Lawrence is set to enter this season as a Heisman Trophy favorite and the likely No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, a spot that has been earmarked for him since he hoisted the College Football Playoff championship in 2019. His statement reflects the prevailing sentiment among college football players, even as they try to push conferences into safe practices amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Many other college football players, including Lawrence’s biggest competition for the Heisman and top pick, have made similar statements while the fate of the season hangs in the balance:
Justin Fields says he never thought about opting out of the 2020 college football season. Says he's always been a competitor and is looking forward to the season.
— Dave Biddle (@davebiddle) August 4, 2020
Multiple Penn State players taking to Twitter to let the masses know they want to play. pic.twitter.com/MiwkK8f6kM
— Black Shoe Diaries (@BSDtweet) August 9, 2020
Yeah! https://t.co/E6CUiUv7UK
— Demetris Robertson (@d_rob4) August 8, 2020
Even the players threatening to boycott the season over certain safety demands want to play, they just want to play safely.
Of course, the desire of college football players to play isn’t the most important factor here. It’s the coronavirus. It has always been the coronavirus, and so far colleges have struggled to figure out how to square the risk of an outbreak with playing a season.
Lawrence’s own Clemson program saw 37 COVID-19 cases at one point. While the medical risks of the coronavirus are diminished for younger, in-shape athletes, the risk isn’t zero, and the possibility of other contracting the virus makes holding a season questionable in the middle of a pandemic.
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