William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American professional football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospects, he won the 2019 National Championship Game as a freshman with the Clemson Tigers and set the school's record for quarterback wins. Lawrence was selected first overall by the Jaguars in the 2021 NFL draft. In his second season, Lawrence led the Jaguars to their first division title since 2017 and earned Pro Bowl honors. He led the team to another division title in 2025.
Early life
William Trevor Lawrence was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on October 6, 1999, and moved to Cartersville, Georgia when he was six. He later attended Cartersville High School, where he played football and basketball. As a junior in 2016, Lawrence was The Atlanta Journal-Constitution player of the year after completing 250 of 406 passes for 3,904 yards and 51 touchdowns. As a freshman, Lawrence had 3,042 yards and 26 touchdowns, and as a sophomore, he passed for 3,655 yards and 43 touchdowns .
From his sophomore year to his senior year, Lawrence led the Purple Hurricanes to 41 straight victories, winning two state championships and four region titles while also receiving numerous national high school player of the year honors. In 2017, Lawrence broke the Georgia state record for passing yards and passing touchdowns, which were previously held by Deshaun Watson of Gainesville, who also played for Clemson.
Lawrence was a five-star recruit who was regarded as one of the best high school quarterback prospects of all time. On December 16, 2016, he committed to Clemson University to play college football.
College career Freshman year
Lawrence started his freshman season behind Kelly Bryant on Clemson's depth chart, but was given equal playing time in the season's first games. Head coach Dabo Swinney named Lawrence the new starter after four games, after which Bryant announced his intention to transfer schools. Lawrence led Clemson to an undefeated regular season, a 42–10 victory over Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship Game, and a bid to play in the College Football Playoff. The Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and defeated No. 3 Notre Dame, 30–3, in the 2018 Cotton Bowl Classic. They advanced to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship game, where they defeated Alabama, 44–16, handing the Crimson Tide their worst loss of the Nick Saban era. Lawrence was named Offensive MVP of the game and became the first true freshman quarterback to start for a national champion since Jamelle Holieway in 1985 for Oklahoma.
Lawrence threw for 3,280 passing yards and 30 touchdowns on the season, and was awarded the National Freshman of the Year and Archie Griffin Award by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. He was also awarded ACC Rookie of the Year honors.
Sophomore year
Returning for his sophomore year with the Tigers, Lawrence was named preseason ACC Player of the Year and was considered a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy. Relatively inconsistent play in the early part of the season all but lost Lawrence the Heisman Trophy race, but he led FBS in passer rating over the final half of the regular season and ended seventh in Heisman Trophy voting. Lawrence helped lead Clemson to an undefeated regular season and an ACC Championship Game victory over Virginia, which gave them the No. 3 ranking in the final College Football Playoff rankings. In the 2019 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, he had 259 passing yards and two touchdowns to go along with 16 rushes for 107 yards and a touchdown in the 29–23 victory that brought them to the national championship game for the second consecutive year. Lawrence lost the first game of his career in the CFP Championship Game against LSU, as Clemson snapped its 29-game winning streak and lost 42–25. Lawrence posted the worst passer rating of his career as he only completed 18 of 37 passes for 234 yards in the game.
Junior year
Lawrence returned for his junior season with the Tigers. In his first six games of the season, Lawrence threw for 1,833 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and two interceptions. On October 30, 2020, Lawrence tested positive for COVID-19, which resulted in a 10-day quarantine, per ACC protocols. As a result, he missed two games before returning. Clemson lost one of those two games, to Notre Dame. After Lawrence returned to the team, he helped guide the Tigers back to the ACC Championship Game by finishing in second in the division-less format adopted for the 2020 season. They defeated Notre Dame in the rematch in the conference title game with Lawrence starting at quarterback and were selected to a spot in the College Football Playoff. In the CFP semifinal, the Sugar Bowl, Lawrence and the Tigers lost to Ohio State.
Lawrence finished his final season with the Tigers 231-of-334 for 3,153 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. He was named ACC Player of the Year, and finished in second in voting for the Heisman Trophy behind Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith. After the season, Lawrence would be the men's recipient of the ACC Athlete of the Year award across all conference sports, sharing honors with women's recipient Charlotte North of Boston College lacrosse.
Professional career Pre-draft
One of the NFL's highest-regarded amateur prospects, Lawrence was nearly unanimously projected to be taken first overall in the 2021 NFL draft. He drew comparisons to Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway and Peyton Manning and 2012 first overall pick Andrew Luck, with the slogan "Tank for Trevor" gaining popularity among fans of struggling teams. ESPN Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Lawrence as the fourth highest-graded quarterback he had ever evaluated, behind Elway, Luck, and Manning.
2021
After undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Lawrence was officially selected first overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars, which had finished with a league-worst 1–15 record the previous season. On July 5, 2021, he signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $36.8 million with a $24.1 million signing bonus.
Ahead of the final week of preseason, Lawrence was named the Jaguars' starting quarterback for 2021. Making his NFL debut in the season-opener against the Houston Texans, Lawrence finished with 332 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in the 37–21 road loss. The loss was Lawrence's first in a regular season game. In the next game against the Denver Broncos, he threw a touchdown pass on the opening drive, but completed only eight of 25 passes afterwards and was intercepted twice as the Jaguars lost 23–13. Two weeks later against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football, Lawrence had a stronger performance, completing 17 of 24 passes for 204 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown, also making it his first NFL game without an interception. Despite his efforts, the Jaguars lost on the road 24–21.
Lawrence won his first NFL game in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, throwing for 319 yards and a touchdown during the 23–20 victory. Having played the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Lawrence became the first NFL rookie to win in London. The victory was also the Jaguars' first since Week 1 of the 2020 season, ending a 20-game losing streak.
Following a Week 8 31–7 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Lawrence took part in the season's biggest upset when he helped the 15.5-point underdog Jaguars defeat the Buffalo Bills 9–6. However, the victory began a stretch that saw Lawrence throw only two touchdown passes in nine games, including seven games without any touchdowns, while having eight interceptions. The Jaguars also went on an eight-game losing streak, dropping them to the league's worst record for a second consecutive year. Nevertheless, Lawrence concluded the season with his strongest performance in the regular season finale, completing 23 of 32 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns to secure a 26–11 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Lawrence finished his rookie year with 3,641 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and a league-leading 17 interceptions to go along with 73 carries for 334 yards and two touchdowns. Lawrence's passing yards ranked second for rookies, only behind Mac Jones.
2022
After losing to the Washington Commanders in the season opener, Lawrence won his next two games against the Colts and Los Angeles Chargers, throwing for a combined 497 yards and five touchdowns. The latter also marked Lawrence's first road victory and earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. However, the Jaguars went on a five-game losing streak, during which Lawrence completed 57.8% of his passes for 1,068 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also had two games without any touchdown passes. The losing streak ended with a Week 9 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, which saw Lawrence help Jacksonville overcome a 20–10 halftime deficit to win 27–20.
The Week 9 victory kicked off the Jaguars winning seven of their last nine games, with Lawrence throwing for 2,273 yards, 15 touchdowns, and two interceptions. During this period, he led a game-winning drive against the Baltimore Ravens in the final two minutes of their Week 12 matchup and helped overcome a 17-point third quarter deficit in Week 15 to beat the Dallas Cowboys in overtime. Lawrence was also named AFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 14 after completing 30 of 42 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown during a 36–22 road victory over the Tennessee Titans. In the season finale against the Titans to determine the AFC South, he completed 20 of 32 passes for 212 yards and a touchdown to win 20–16 and clinch the Jaguars' first division title since 2017.
Lawrence finished his second professional season with 4,113 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions to go along with 62 carries for 291 yards and five touchdowns, all noted improvements from his rookie campaign. Lawrence was named as an alternate to the Pro Bowl and was the first Jaguars quarterback to receive Pro Bowl honors since David Garrard in 2009. He was ranked 96th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023. During the Wild Card Round against the Chargers, Lawrence threw four interceptions in the first half, three of which were in the first quarter, which contributed to the Chargers taking a 27–0 lead. However, Lawrence rebounded by throwing a touchdown pass before halftime and completing 18 of 23 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns in the second half to secure a narrow 31–30 victory. The Jaguars' 27-point comeback was the third-largest in NFL history. In the Divisional Round against the eventual Super Bowl LVII champion Kansas City Chiefs, Lawrence completed 24 of 39 passes for 217 yards, a touchdown, and an interception during the 27–20 road loss, marking his first defeat on a Saturday.
2023
During the season-opening 31–21 road victory over the Colts, Lawrence completed 24 of 32 passes for 241 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. In the next game against the Chiefs, he had 216 passing yards during the 17–9 loss. The following week against the Texans, Lawrence threw for 279 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the 37–17 loss.
During a Week 4 23–7 victory over the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium, Lawrence completed 23 of 30 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he threw for 315 yards and a touchdown during the 25–20 victory, despite losing two fumbles. Returning to Jacksonville the following week, Lawrence had 181 passing yards, including two touchdowns and an interception in a 37–20 victory over the Colts. However, Lawrence left the game late with a sprained left knee.