After six games of the 2020 college football season, Trevor Lawrence appears to be the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and the Clemson Tigers are the No. 1 team in the country. Though neither of those outcomes are surprising in the least, news broke on Thursday evening that could impact the landscape of the sport, with Lawrence reportedly testing positive for COVID-19.
#Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence has tested positive for COVID-19, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The No. 1-ranked Tigers are slated to face #BostonCollege Saturday.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 30, 2020
It remains to be seen as to how Lawrence and Clemson will respond to this, though the first and most important thing to acknowledge is the hope that he will be healthy and without symptoms. From a football standpoint, Clemson takes on Boston College this week, but a lot of attention will be paid to Nov. 7, when the Tigers are scheduled to travel to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a clash between unbeaten teams.
In addition to being one of the best players in college football, Lawrence is also a leading contender to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, many posited that Lawrence would have been the No. 1 pick in 2020 if he was allowed to declare, with open speculation as to whether he could consider skipping his junior season in preparation for the professional ranks.
Lawrence stayed with the Tigers, though, and had thrown for 1,833 yards and 17 touchdowns in six games this season. In the short term, however, it appears that Clemson will be without their on-field leader, and the next steps will be interesting for all parties involved.