ACC Football

In a widely expected move, Clemson star Trevor Lawrence is declaring for the 2021 NFL draft.

Lawrence announced his decision in a video message on Twitter:

From the moment the quarterback torched Alabama for 347 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman—and probably well before that—NFL executives have eagerly awaited the moment the No. 1 recruit in the 2018 freshman class would take the step to the next level.

The 21-year-old has already been positioned as the savior for the franchise sorry enough to land the No. 1 overall pick—to the point that New York Jets fans were upset when the team had the audacity to win a game.

No athlete is assured of enjoying a decorated professional career, and plenty of can't-miss prospects have flamed out in the NFL.

But Lawrence is as close to a sure thing at quarterback since Andrew Luck in 2012. He threw for 9,698 yards and 88 touchdowns in three years at Clemson. He also ran for 951 yards and 17 scores. Ohio State fans likely still have nightmares about his 67-yard touchdown run against the Buckeyes in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl.

Reaching this point has been a yearslong process.

ESPN's David M. Hale wrote in August 2019 how Lawrence's parents lined him up with a dedicated quarterback trainer when he was in the eighth grade. Former teammate Miller Forristall recalled seeing him throw at that time and immediately realizing his status as Cartersville (Georgia) High School's starting quarterback was under threat.

Clemson was heavily pursuing Lawrence when he was a freshman in high school, and the Georgia prep star was the No. 1 overall player in the 2018 class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. The Tigers waited five games before elevating him ahead of Kelly Bryant in the depth chart in his first season.

Time and again, Lawrence has faced sky-high expectations and met or exceeded them.

As miserable as the 2020 season was for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who own the No. 1 pick after losing 15 straight games following a Week 1 win, the 2021 draft could make it all worth it. Sales of "Lawrence No. 16" jerseys are probably surging in Jacksonville as we speak.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence lost the Heisman Trophy to Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith on Tuesday night, but he offered some insight into his next steps on the ESPN broadcast.

Lawrence said an update regarding his future will come "in the next day or so," but he added: "Obviously, the plan has been to move on" (h/t Matt Hayes). 

The presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft would end his collegiate career with a 34-2 overall record and a perfect 34-0 record in the regular season. 

Lawrence led Clemson to a national title over Alabama as a freshman. He suffered his only two losses in last year's championship game to Joe Burrow and LSU, and then last week against Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. 

The Heisman finalist completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 3,153 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions for the 10-2 Tigers. Clemson's other loss this season came against Notre Dame, when Lawrence was sidelined for one of the two games he missed following his COVID-19 diagnosis.

If Lawrence does decide to declare for the NFL draft, he'll likely head to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who secured the No. 1 pick when they finished the 2020 campaign at 1-15.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan hinted Monday that if Lawrence is in the draft, they'll take him immediately.

"But what's evaded the history of the Jags, really, has been a franchise quarterback," he said. "And I think what's unique, certainly, is that we have the ability now to make a choice and it's going to define the franchise moving forward."

The Jaguars looked to Blake Bortles for the bulk of the 2015-18 campaigns and gave the reigns to sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew II in 2019. This year, Jacksonville rotated through a combination of Minshew, Mike Glennon and Jake Luton en route to its one-win finish. 

Former Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan will use his final year of NCAA eligibility at Notre Dame next season.

A former starter who was sidelined after undergoing surgery for a foot injury this season, Coan announced his decision on Twitter on Monday.

Though three-year starter Ian Book is likely to leave South Bend behind to enter the NFL draft, Coan will enter a loaded quarterback room at Notre Dame. The team has two returning signal-callers in Drew Pyne and Brendon Clark, while 247Sports' No. 3-ranked dual-threat QB and No. 65 player in the class of 2021, Tyler Buchner, will join the team next year.

Coan, who was ranked a 3-star recruit in the class of 2017, was committed to play lacrosse at Notre Dame before he switched sports, choosing Wisconsin over Boston College, Indiana, Michigan, Northwestern, and more, according to Tom Loy of 247Sports.

He started 18 games for the Badgers in 2018 and 2019, completing 68 percent of his passes for 3,242 yards and 23 touchdowns with eight interceptions. In 2019, he picked up 236 completions, a team record, en route to a Big Ten West title.

His 2,727 passing yards that season were the third-most in program history. The Badgers finished the season with a 10-4 record that included a Rose Bowl appearance.

Without Coan this season, Wisconsin finished at 4-3, capping the year with a 42-28 victory over Wake Forest in the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Quarterback Graham Mertz, who redshirted as a freshman last season after appearing in two games behind Coan, collected 1,238 passing yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.

Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah declared for the 2021 NFL draft on Monday after four seasons in South Bend. 

He announced his decision on Twitter, posting a statement thanking his teammates, coaches and fans: 

The Virginia native was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and won the Butkus Award, given to the top linebacker in the country, after posting 62 tackles (11 for loss) and three forced fumbles this season. 

His 11 tackles for loss led Notre Dame defenders this season, while his overall tackle total ranked second. He was named a consensus First-Team All-American, earning the nod from the Associated Press, ESPN, Sporting News and CBS. 

After spending his freshman year on the scout team following his February commitment to Notre Dame, then making two appearances as a sophomore, Owusu-Koramoah broke out as a junior in 2019.

He started all 13 games for the Fighting Irish, posting 80 tackles to tie for the team's lead. His 13.5 tackles for loss paced the program, and he also posted 5.5 sacks, four passes defended, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries. 

The 6'1½", 215-pounder is ranked No. 9 overall among 2021 prospects by ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and is the top-ranked outside linebacker.

The Clemson Tigers have boosted the 2021 recruiting class with the addition of offensive tackle Tristan Leigh.

Leigh announced his commitment to the school Saturday as part of the All-American Bowl Declaration Show.

When asked on the show about why he chose to play for head coach Dabo Swinney at Clemson, Leigh pointed to the togetherness that the Tigers play with.

The 5-star recruit is considered one of the best linemen in the country, rated the No. 4 offensive tackle in the 2021 class and No. 11 overall player, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

At 6'5", 270 pounds, Leigh has an excellent frame that will allow him to build muscle and become an even more imposing player in the future.

Of course, the Virginia native is already an imposing player with excellent athleticism for his size.

He earned MVP honors at the National Combine in January, earning praise as the unanimous No. 1 prospect in a camp filled with other high-profile prospects, per Chad Ricardo of NBC Sports.

"When plays start, I flip a switch and go full speed 'til the whistle blows," Leigh said. "I like to play really physical. In football, if you're really physical when you go at someone, 75 percent of the time, they won't want to play with you anymore."

This attitude will help him at the next level as he tries to make an impact with his new team.

Out of dozens of offers from around the country, including some of the top programs in college football, Leigh decided to play ball at Clemson.

The Tigers have developed several high-profile offensive linemen over the past decade, giving them the ability to win in the trenches against top competition in the ACC and nationally. Though the team already has impressive depth at the position, Leigh could see early playing time at the college level.

If he lives up to expectations, the tackle could be one of the best in the conference before too long.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said he did not regret placing Ohio State at No. 11 on his Amway Coaches Poll ranking after his team lost to the Buckeyes 49-28 in the Sugar Bowl on Friday.

He added:

OSU entered Saturday at No. 3 in the coaches poll.

Clemson had no answers for the Ohio State offense, falling behind 35-14 at halftime. Quarterback Justin Fields threw for six touchdowns, and running back Trey Sermon added 193 rushing yards.

The Tigers scored four touchdowns, but the offense went dormant for much of the final 50 minutes. Clemson scored two touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the game but did not find the end zone again until midway through the third quarter.

Ohio State will face No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan. 11.

No question about it, Brian Kelly is ready to be hurt again.

Following a 31-14 loss to Alabama, the Notre Dame head coach discussed the program's inability to make a breakthrough in a BCS or New Year's Six bowl.

"I'm sorry if you don't like it and if the national media doesn't like it but we're going to go back to work and we're going to put ourselves back in this position again," Kelly told reporters.

He went on to argue the Fighting Irish weren't the only ones to be overmatched by Alabama on the big stage:

It's true Alabama and Clemson are largely in a class by themselves. To isolate Notre Dame's College Football Playoff losses to those schools obscures the issue, though. The Fighting Irish can't beat anybody when they're drawn in a major bowl game.

The Rose Bowl score wasn't indicative of the gap between the two teams on the field. Alabama was up 21-7 at halftime and pretty much coasted from there. The Tide averaged 7.9 yards per play on offense to 4.7 yards for the Fighting Irish.

Kelly's belief that his players are "going to put ourselves back in this position again" probably isn't wrong. The program has won at least 10 games in five of the last six years.

But Notre Dame is basically on a rich man's version of the "treadmill of mediocrity." The team enjoys the lofty status afforded to upper-tier Power Five schools, even though it remains independent in traditional seasons. That means the CFP selection committee is always going to grant a playoff berth to the Irish if they're unbeaten or only have one loss. Two losses probably still means reaching a New Year's Six showcase.

Then Notre Dame gets exposed by a strong opponent who has plenty of time to devise a game plan. Lather, rinse, repeat.

And the consistent success the Fighting Irish enjoy makes it almost impossible to fire Kelly. As much as Friday's loss stings, it's a far cry from the low points of the Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis coaching reigns.

The fanbase is probably spoiled to some extent, but it's fair to question how this keeps happening when Ohio State, which had a similar ceiling with Jim Tressel, broke through with Urban Meyer. Similarly, Dabo Swinney turned Clemson into a juggernaut, upending what had been the narrative.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, continues to justify the skepticism that inevitably creeps up whenever it registers a big win in the regular season and looks destined to compete for a CFP Semifinal place.

The knee injury suffered by Miami quarterback D'Eriq King in a 37-34 Cheez-It Bowl loss to Oklahoma State on Tuesday has been diagnosed as a torn ACL, according to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.

Miami head football coach Manny Diaz released the following statement regarding the injury:

Per Auerbach, the expectation is that King will be back in time for the start of fall camp ahead of the 2021 college football season.

King announced last week that he would return to Miami next season rather than entering the 2021 NFL draft:

The Manvel, Texas, native performed well in his first season as the Hurricanes' starting quarterback in 2020, completing 64.0 percent of his passes for 2,683 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for 538 yards and four scores.

Prior to transferring to Miami, King spent parts of four seasons at Houston. His best collegiate season to date came in 2018 when he threw for 2,982 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions, while rushing for 674 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Cougars.

King started all 11 games this season for a Hurricanes team that went 8-3, marking their first season with eight or more wins since going 10-3 in 2017.

After King exited the Cheez-It Bowl, he was replaced by N'Kosi Perry, who performed well with 228 yards and two touchdowns, nearly leading Miami to a come-from-behind victory over the Cowboys.

If King is not ready for the start of the 2021 season, Perry could begin the campaign as Miami's starting quarterback.

Clemson will be without offensive coordinator Tony Elliott for Friday's Sugar Bowl clash with Ohio State. The school announced Wednesday that Elliott will miss the game because of COVID-19 health and safety protocols. 

According to Yahoo Sports' Pete Thamel, the Tigers are tentatively looking at passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter to call the plays on offense.

This is the second big game in which Clemson will be without a notable offensive figure. The team's lone loss to Notre Dame came as D.J. Uiagalelei was filling in for Trevor Lawrence.

However, ESPN's David M. Hale noted the Tigers have responded positively to sudden setbacks ahead of the College Football Playoff in recent years:

Elliott is widely considered one of the top coordinators in college football. He won the Broyles Award, handed out to the best assistant coach, in 2017, and he's regularly linked to whatever prominent head coaching gig opens up.

Clemson is averaging 507.6 yards and 44.9 points per game, both top-10 marks in the FBS, and the fact that the offense went for 473 yards against the Fighting Irish without Lawrence is a testament to Elliott's coaching.

The top FBS programs have a deep well of coaches, and Streeter has been on the staff since 2014. He's familiar with the scheme. Still, Elliott's absence is likely to be felt.

According to Thamel, Clemson is optimistic Elliott will be back for the CFP National Championship on Jan. 11. The No. 2 Tigers will first have to get past the No. 3 Buckeyes at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.    

Miami Hurricanes quarterback D'Eriq King left his team's Cheez-It Bowl matchup against the No. 21 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Tuesday at Camping World Stadium with an apparent right knee injury. 

The injury occurred while King was making a cut on a five-yard run with four-plus minutes remaining in the first half. N'Kosi Perry replaced King at quarterback.

"D'Eriq King injury doesn't look good," Manny Navarro of The Athletic wrote. "Have to hope at this point [it's] just a badly bruised knee and nothing with torn ligaments or broken bones."

The ESPN broadcast noted that King rejected a cart to take him off the field. He received assistance back to the locker room.

King had completed 10 of 13 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 18 yards prior to leaving the game. He did not return after halftime, and ESPN's Katie George reported that Miami ruled King out for the remainder of the game with a right leg injury.

King spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Houston. He notably had 50 total touchdowns (36 passing, 14 rushing) while completing 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,982 yards (8.6 passing yards per attempt) in 2018.

Unfortunately, King suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee on a non-contact play during his team's 48-17 win over Tulane on Nov. 15. He underwent successful surgery and came back in time to start for Houston in 2019 but decided to redshirt four games into the season.

In January, King announced his plans to transfer to Miami. Entering Tuesday's bowl game, the signal-caller had completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,570 yards, 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions in addition to 520 rushing yards and four more scores.

Thanks largely to King, Miami improved from a 6-7 mark last year to 8-2 during the 2020 regular-season slate. Miami's only two losses were to Clemson, which finished second in the final College Football Playoff rankings, and North Carolina (No. 13). 

The Hurricanes offense also drastically improved, with the team scoring 34.0 points per game in 2020 (27th out of 127 FBS teams) versus 25.7 last season (90th out of 130 FBS squads).

The Manvel, Texas, native announced Dec. 26 that he plans to return to Miami for the 2021 season.

King and the No. 18 Hurricanes entered their matchup with the Cowboys looking for Miami's first bowl win since 2016.