Clemson Football

The possibility of a 2020 college football season this fall appears less likely by the day, with news emerging Saturday that the Mid-American Conference will not be playing fall sports amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, some schools and conferences still plan to play this fall, and that includes the Clemson Tigers, whose quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, made it clear that he wants to take the field:

I don’t know about y’all, but we want to play.

— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) August 8, 2020

Georgia wide receiver Demetris Robertson responded in agreement:

Yeah! https://t.co/E6CUiUv7UK

— LOVERBOY NIKE (@d_rob4) August 8, 2020

Per Grace Raynor of The Athletic, Lawrence had previously said that he would not sit out the 2020 season, which is an option that other top 2021 NFL draft prospects like the Clemson signal-caller have taken, including Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau.

"Trevor Lawrence said he felt like he was going to play the whole time," Raynor wrote. "Said it wasn't so much of a decision as it was deciding he'd reassess if he needed to."

Lawrence completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions last year en route to leading Clemson to a 14-1 record and national championship appearance.

Clemson is currently scheduled to open its season Sept. 12 against Wake Forest. The Tigers have made the College Football Playoff National Championship Game three of the past four seasons, winning twice.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will not opt out of the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, per Grace Raynor of The Athletic.

Lawrence added that he'll "cross that bridge" regarding the decision if the season timeline changes, per Raynor.

The Tigers are playing an 11-game slate beginning Sept. 12 at Wake Forest. The schedule will feature 10 ACC games and just one nonconference opponent.

Numerous high-end NFL draft prospects have made the decision to opt out in recent days, including Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau and Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore.

Per Raynor, Lawrence provided more context on his decision: "Trevor Lawrence said he felt like he was going to play the whole time. Said it wasn't so much of a decision as it was deciding he'd reassess if he needed to."

Lawrence has led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in each of his two seasons under center, beating Alabama two seasons ago and losing to LSU last year. Clemson's defeat to LSU is its only loss with Lawrence calling signals.

For his career, Lawrence has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 66 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He's added 740 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.

Welcoming Lawrence back into the mix is a welcome sight for a Clemson team that has lost some key contributors, including Justyn Ross, who was forced to undergo spinal surgery due to a congenial fusion he has had since birth, per Anna Hickey of Clemson 247.

The Tigers also lost wide receiver Tee Higgins, linebacker Isaiah Simmons and cornerback A.J. Terrell among a seven-person group that was selected in the 2020 NFL draft.

Clemson is ranked No. 1 on the preseason coaches poll, earning 38 of a possible 59 first-place votes.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said Thursday that the Tigers will likely redshirt defensive end Xavier Thomas while he completes his recovery from COVID-19 and strep throat.

Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg reported Thomas would remain eligible to play four games later in the year if he's cleared for football activities.

"Xavier probably picked up 10-12 pounds during quarantine," Swinney told reporters. "That put him in a bad place mentally as well. He's nowhere near where he needs to be to be able to play football. The No. 1 thing we want is for these guys to be healthy. Last thing we want is for X to be half of his potential."

Thomas, a junior scheduled to graduate in December, recorded 60 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, five sacks and a forced fumble in 26 appearances across his first two years at Clemson.

"I'm really proud of X," Swinney said. "He has shown a lot of maturity and self-awareness."

Matthew Valdovinos of Pro Football Network ranked Thomas as the ninth-best edge-rusher in early rankings for the 2021 NFL draft. He wasn't listed among the top 25 overall prospects on the initial big board from Bleacher Report's Matt Miller in May.

Clemson was ranked as the No. 1 team in the country in the preseason USA Today Amway Coaches Poll released Thursday. The Tigers received 38 of the 65 first-place votes.

K.J. Henry figures to enter the starting lineup for the duration of Thomas' absence. Myles Murphy and Justin Mascoll are other options for more playing time opposite Justin Foster.

Rings are typically awarded at the end of a college football season. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence decided to hand one out just a little early. 

Lawrence announced Friday on Instagram that he and longtime girlfriend Marissa Mowry are engaged. 

Trevor Lawrence gets engaged 💍

(via @Trevorlawrencee) pic.twitter.com/483uHFPlwm

— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) July 18, 2020

The quarterback proposed at the famed Death Valley stadium in midfield. 

"Easiest YES of my life!!!" Mowry wrote on Instagram.

The two began dating in high school in Cartersville, Georgia, and have stayed together long-distance since.

Mowry stars on the soccer team at Anderson University in South Carolina, while Lawrence is heading into his junior year with the Tigers.        

The Clemson athletic department asked Thursday in a fan outlook survey whether supporters would prefer the 2020 college football season to take place in fall without fans or in spring with spectators in attendance.

Scott Keepfer of the Greenville News reported Friday the inquiry was included as a possible worst-case scenario amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"Why do it without fans? I'm 50 years into this and I love Clemson football, but I have to be realistic," Tigers season ticket holder Dennis Wilson said. "The athletic department is trying to figure out what to do. Sounds like they are trying to please everybody, but they won't be able to do that."

Other survey topics included fans' comfort levels with attending games during the pandemic, whether they'd continue tailgating traditions and what they'd expect to see inside Memorial Stadium for safety measures.

It was sent to the school's IPTAY fundraising campaign season ticket holders. Athletic department spokesperson Jeff Kallin explained its purpose to Keepfer.

"As critical decisions are made in the weeks and months ahead, input from our IPTAY donors and season ticket holders is an important piece in informing those decisions," he said. "Deliberate and careful thought was put into the creation of the survey, which captures a set of beliefs during a select period of time. We will continue to evaluate a number of options related to stadium capacity, parking and ticketing."

Clemson is scheduled to open the season Sept. 3 against Georgia Tech. But the Big Ten and Pac-12 recently announced they will play only conference games.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford released a statement Friday saying the conference will make a decision in late July:

"The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators remains the ACC's top priority. As we continue to work on the best possible path forward for the return of competition, we will do so in a way that appropriately coincides with our universities' academic missions. Over the last few months, our conference has prepared numerous scenarios related to the fall athletics season. The league membership and our medical advisory group will make every effort to be as prepared as possible during these unprecedented times, and we anticipate a decision by our Board of Directors in late July."

The Tigers are heavy favorites (-600) to win the ACC title, according to Caesars Palace.

It's unclear how possibly playing games in the spring would affect the NFL draft, which is scheduled to begin April 29.

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, the early favorite to get selected first overall in the 2021 draft, is a unique talent with no direct comparables among the current group of NFL quarterbacks.

Jeremiah posted his initial evaluation Thursday and explained if he was forced to select the most similar signal-caller, it would be Houston Texans starter and former Tigers standout Deshaun Watson:

"There really isn't a comparison for Lawrence because of his unique measurables and athleticism. However, if you look at every current starting NFL quarterback, I believe he compares most favorably to a man who preceded him at Clemson, Deshaun Watson. Both players have lean, athletic frames and they are both capable of making winning plays from inside and outside the pocket. They can both drive the ball effectively and they share a competitiveness that's obvious on tape. While they are effective runners, they find success on the ground in different ways. Watson is more elusive, while Lawrence has more pure speed. Watson has emerged as one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL, and Lawrence has the upside to join him in that group in the near future."

Lawrence has been nothing short of outstanding across his first two seasons at Clemson.

The 20-year-old Tennessee native has completed 65.5 percent of his throws for 6,945 yards with 66 touchdowns and 12 interceptions across 30 collegiate appearances. He's added 740 rushing yards and 10 scores on the ground.

He arrived to the Tigers as a 5-star prospect and the consensus No. 1 player in the 2018 recruiting class, and he's continued to look like a can't-miss prospect during his time in Death Valley.

Jeremiah referenced former Stanford and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck as the last player to so firmly establish himself as an undoubtedly high-end talent before reaching the NFL, though he noted Lawrence still has some developing to do during what will likely be his final year at Clemson:

"Lawrence has all of the necessary tools to emerge as an elite quarterback at the next level. However, there is still some development needed. He's not at the same level of consistency that Luck displayed during his time at Stanford. I'm not talking about the statistics—I'm talking about the overall command and ownership of every key situation. I think Lawrence can—and will get—to that level, but he's not quite there yet."

The 2019 First-Team All-ACC selection also owns plenty of big-game experience. He led the Tigers to the national championship game each of the past two years, beating Alabama for the title as a freshman but losing to LSU in last season's title clash.

Watson wasn't viewed in quite the same unstoppable lens during his rise. He was a 4-star prospect coming out of high school and slid to the 12th overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.

A redo of that draft would likely see him go second behind only the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, however, as he's been an electrifying playmaker for the Texans.

He's accounted for 86 touchdowns (71 passing, 14 rushing and one receiving) across 38 games over his first three NFL seasons. He ranks sixth among all NFL quarterbacks in passer rating (101.0) over that span, per Pro Football Reference.

Watson has also led Houston to the playoffs each of the past two years, earning his first postseason victory in a Wild Card Round game against the Buffalo Bills last season.

Lawrence, if he continues on his current trajectory and reaches his full potential, has the ability to eventually challenge Mahomes in the conversation as the league's best quarterback.

Even if he falls short of that bar and settles in as something closer to Watson, a fringe top-five QB, he's well worth the No. 1 overall pick. His bust potential is remarkably low at this stage.

The Clemson football team has now had 37 of its members test positive for COVID-19 after 14 more confirmed cases were announced Friday, per Matt Connolly of The State. 

Clemson announced that 23 players tested positive last week in addition to two football team staff members and three student-athletes from other sports.

Tests done in early June, when the football and men's and women's basketball teams returned to campus for voluntary workouts, returned just three positive tests for student-athletes, per Connolly.

The news comes amid word Friday from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) that there were 1,273 new confirmed cases since the previous day.

There have been a total of 30,263 confirmed cases in the state, including 1,106 on Thursday and 1,291 on Wednesday. Figures have starkly risen since one month ago, when South Carolina announced 209 new cases on May 24.

The city of Clemson is located in Pickens and Anderson counties, which combined had 44 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, via the state. Charleston County had the most with 216.

The Clemson football team held a demonstration in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and social justice June 13. Roughly 3,000 people attended the event, per Scott Keepfer of the Greenville News.

That might lead one to wonder whether the demonstration had a significant impact on the stark rise in football players' positive tests, but the athletic department does not believe that led to the cases.

"There's not a prevailing theory on it," Clemson athletic department spokesperson Jeff Kallin told Keepfer. "Is there a ground zero? No, not that we're aware of. There were approximately 2,900 people at the demonstration that weren't Clemson student-athletes, so it's hard to know for sure."

Clemson football is scheduled to begin its season on the road against ACC rival Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.

Twenty-three Clemson football players have tested positive for COVID-19, Grace Raynor of The Athletic reported Friday.

The results came after 315 Clemson student-athletes and staff were tested, per Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. Five additional student-athletes and staff tested positive, resulting in 28 confirmed COVID-19 cases.

More than half of the players are asymptomatic, per Raynor, and none of the positive tests have resulted in hospitalizations.

Players who tested positive will be in isolation for at least 10 days and will need to be asymptomatic for the final three days before they can emerge from isolation. Voluntary workouts will continue.

Clemson had announced two positive COVID-19 tests for its 104 football players last week, according to Thamel.

On Thursday, Zoe Nicholson of the Greenville News reported that COVID-19 cases have risen in South Carolina:

"Since Clemson launched its three-phase reopening plan on June 1, Pickens County has seen more than 130 new cases of COVID-19, according to an analysis of State Department of Health and Environmental Control data.

"As of June 17, Pickens County had a reported 323 cases of the virus since announcing its first known case in the county on March 20, according to DHEC."

Per Matt Connolly of The State, the football team and men's and women's basketball teams returned to Clemson at the beginning of June after the NCAA permitted on-campus voluntary workouts. The number of athletes in that group totaled 128, per Will Vandervort of the Clemson Insider.

The volleyball and men's and women's soccer teams returned to Clemson this week.

The fall semester is scheduled to begin Aug. 19, and the Tigers are slated to open their football season Sept. 3 against Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

NFL star DeAndre Hopkins wasn't surprised by the heavy presence of Confederate flags in Clemson, South Carolina, on Saturday:

https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1271986892888780801

The video was taken before an on-campus protest Saturday that called for racial equality, which was led by student-athletes. According to Conor Hughes of the Greenville News, about 3,000 people took part.

Hopkins—a South Carolina native who went to nearby D.W. Daniel High School and spent three years at Clemson—posted about the event on social media:

Beautiful site!!! https://t.co/J8d46Faszn

— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) June 14, 2020

There have been worldwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality since George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed after white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes.

Hopkins has used his platform to speak up about these issues, especially on social media. The All-Pro receiver also took part in a video with other high-profile players sending a message to the NFL to condemn racism.

On Wednesday, NASCAR banned the Confederate flag at events, saying it "runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans."

Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney has joined his team and other members of the community in an on-campus demonstration for social justice, per Aaron Cheslock of Fox Carolina:

#Clemson HC Dabo Swinney has arrived to march with his team. @foxcarolinanews pic.twitter.com/nR4zkciaxc

— Aaron Cheslock (@AaronCheslock) June 13, 2020

Head football coach Dabo Swinney joins Clemson athletes and activists in Saturday's protest.
PHOTOS: https://t.co/ONG9C9hyXB pic.twitter.com/HqfE7d3qko

— WSPA 7NEWS (@WSPA7) June 13, 2020

The football team organized "A March for Change," per Marc Whiteman of WYFF 4. March leaders include quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Darien Rencher, wide receiver Cornell Powell and linebacker Mike Jones Jr.

The march was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, with organizers asking everyone to wear black, don masks and maintain social distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Swinney offered a few words at the rally, per Cheslock:

#Clemson HC Dabo Swinney addresses the crowd at tonight’s peaceful demonstration. @foxcarolinanews pic.twitter.com/LLt7HAvAw3

— Aaron Cheslock (@AaronCheslock) June 13, 2020

"It has to be everybody’s responsible to be more aware, to learn more and to speak out against racial inequality," Swinney said in part, per Matt Connolly of The State.

He also added: "I'm embarrassed to say that there’s things on this campus I didn’t really understand. I knew the basics but not the details. But I’ve learned and I’ve listened."

Lawrence also tweeted this picture from the march and gave a few comments as well:

Today was amazing. Another step in the right direction. Thank you to everyone who came out and was a part of an impactful night🧡 pic.twitter.com/lpUORk5HcY

— Trevor Lawrence (@Trevorlawrencee) June 14, 2020

Swinney had come under fire recently after retaining assistant coach Danny Pearman despite word emerging that he used a racial slur during a 2017 practice. Swinney provided his side of the story, per ESPN's Andrea Adelson:

"I would fire a coach immediately if he called a player an N-word. No questions asked. That did not happen. Absolutely did not happen. It has not happened. Coach Pearman was correcting [D.J. Greenlee], and another player was talking to D.J., or D.J. was yelling at the player, and D.J. said something he probably shouldn't have said. He said, 'I blocked the wrong f---ing N-word,' and Coach Pearman thought he was saying it to him, and he's mad, and he reacted, and in correcting him, he repeated the phrase.

"And [Pearman] said, 'We don't say we blocked the wrong f---ing N-word.' And he repeated it. He shouldn't have done that. There's no excuse for even saying that. But there is a big difference. He did not call someone an N-word."

Greenlee said in a statement that he believed the incident "may not have been addressed properly with my teammates at the time."

Swinney also received criticism for wearing a "Football Matters" shirt, which some perceived to be making light of Black Lives Matter. ESPN's Max Kellerman (h/t Dean Straka of 247Sports) said that the shirt showed "a lack of understanding."

Swinney later released a video statement saying that his team would create positive change against racism, social injustice and brutality and expressed his support for Black Lives Matter:

The march comes amid a series of changes at the university, namely the Clemson Board of Trustees' decision to rename Calhoun Honors College to Clemson University Honors College.

The namesake was John C. Calhoun, a two-time vice president and congressman who owned slaves and called slavery a "positive good."

As for the march, it was clearly well-attended, per a picture from Connolly:

pic.twitter.com/JTZSbWTEXi

— Matt Connolly (@MattConnolly___) June 13, 2020

"An amazing scene at Clemson," Mark Packer of SiriusXM Radio wrote. "Huge, peaceful turnout on Bowman Field. The student athletes that created the grassroots unity march did an incredible job."