Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney thought his team's performances in the College Football Playoff spoke for themselves, as the program earned its third national title.
"There ain't never been a 15-0 team," Swinney said in his postgame interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi. "And I know we're not supposed to be here, we're just little old Clemson. And I'm not supposed to be here, but we are and I am. How 'bout them Tigers, man? I'm so proud of our guys, these seniors. We beat Notre Dame and Alabama. We left no doubt, and we walked off this field tonight as the first 15-0 team in college football history."
Technically speaking, Swinney is incorrect about Clemson's place in college football history. Yale went 16-0 in 1894, and Pennsylvania went 15-0 in 1897. But it's basically splitting hairs when you have to go back 121 years.
Swinney's interview perfectly encapsulates one reason for his success with the Tigers. Whereas most head coaches stick with bland platitudes, even in victory, Swinney's genuine emotion is a welcome contrast and helped create an atmosphere where his players are prepared to give him everything they've got.
His comments after Monday's game will likely be remembered in the same vein as his famous "bring your own guts" postgame interview following a 2015 win over Notre Dame.
Watch Christian Wilkins Give Dabo Swinney a Wet Willy After Clemson's CFP Win
Jan 8, 2019
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates with the trophy after his teams 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Clemson Tigers defensive tackle Christian Wilkins went out like a legend after his team's 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday.
Wilkins gave Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney a wet willy as Swinney was delivering his postgame interview.
Delivering a wet willy after a football game can't be very sanitary, though, and Wilkins ought to know that, considering he earned his college degree in just two-and-a-half years.
Give the Tigers star credit for finding a way to top his legendary celebration following Clemson's national title in 2017.
Every football fan should be rooting for Wilkins to succeed at the next level because imagine what he'll have in store if his team ever wins a Super Bowl.
Watch Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins' Suge Knight Impression After Clemson Win
Jan 8, 2019
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Christian Wilkins #42 of the Clemson Tigers celebrates his teams 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Clemson defensive linemen Christian Wilkins and Clelin Ferrell used their spotlight after winning the national championship Monday to provide a unique recruiting pitch to their program.
The duo provided a Suge Knight impression from the 1995 Source Awards, telling fans to come to Death Valley (as opposed to Death Row Records):
Considering neither of these players were alive during the original acceptance speechâWilkins was born in December 1995 and Ferrell was born in 1997âthis is a pretty obscure reference for current high schoolers. However, it also was arguably the most memorable moment of the postgame ceremony following Clemson's 44-16 blowout win over Alabama.
If you are a top recruit considering schools, watching these future NFL players having fun on stage celebrating their second title in three years is a pretty good sell.
According to 247Sports, the Tigers currently have the No. 6 class for 2019.
Clemson Wins 2019 CFP Championship: Celebration Highlights and Twitter Reaction
Jan 8, 2019
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Kendall Joseph #34, Hunter Renfrow #13 and Adam Choice #26 of the Clemson Tigers celebrate with the trophy after their 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
For the second time in three years, Clemson has beaten Alabama to win the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence especially turned heads during the game with 347 passing yards and three touchdowns, causing many to discuss his NFL prospects despite being two years away from eligibility:
Canât tell me Trevor Lawrence wouldnât be a top pick in this yearâs draft
Trevor Lawrence is the best true freshman QB I've ever seen. If I was running an NFL team, I'd be making trades for as many 2021 picks I could get my hands on.
It's a shame the system will now force Trevor Lawrence to play two more years of college football, risking his knees and shoulders for Clemson after already winning it a national championship.
With Lawrence and plenty of other talent set to return next season, this team could be celebrating again a year from now.
Trevor Lawrence, Trayvon Mullen Win 2019 CFP National Championship MVPs
Jan 8, 2019
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 07: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers reacts after his teams 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the CFP National Championship presented by AT&T at Levi's Stadium on January 7, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Trevor Lawrence is only a college freshman, but on Monday night he looked like a future NFL superstar.
The Clemson quarterback took home the College Football National Championship offensive MVP award after leading the Tigers to a stunning 44-16 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Lawrence was spectacular, finishing 20-of-32 for 347 yards and three touchdowns.
While Lawrence thrived, his counterpart at quarterback, the highly decorated Tua Tagovailoa, struggled against the Tigers. That was in part due to a big game from junior cornerback Trayvon Mullen, who finished with an interception and a sack on his way to the defensive MVP award.
Both players likely caught the eyes of NFL scouts and general managers, but while Mullen can declare for the draft this offseason if he so desires, Lawrence still has at least two seasons of college football remaining.
And the fact that he's already this good is downright frightening:
Trevor Lawrence is the best true freshman QB I've ever seen. If I was running an NFL team, I'd be making trades for as many 2021 picks I could get my hands on.
Iâve been against allowing true freshman to enter the NFL draft. They arenât mature enough to handle the NFL. Iâve seen a single player who I thought could do it. Thatâs Adrian Peterson. However, I think Lawrence would be drafted in the top five if he left school after this game.
Lawrence has everything NFL teams covet in a quarterback, and he showed it on Monday night. He has excellent size (6'5" and 205 pounds) for the position and stands tough in the pocket. He steps up when the pocket collapses and keeps his eyes down the field. He has excellent touch on his passes, makes smart reads and clearly isn't fazed on the biggest stage.
He's even a tough runner, allowing him to extend plays or pick up first downs with his feet.
And he has two more seasons to gain experience and get even better. You simply won't find a better freshman quarterback than Lawrence, or a more deserving MVP winner in a national championship game. Monday night was only the beginning.
Dabo Swinney on Alabama vs. Clemson: I Won't Apologize for Having a Great Team
Jan 6, 2019
Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney pose with the trophy at a news conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney is not one of those feeling fatigue by the constant postseason matchups between his team and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
"I'm not going to apologize for having a great team and a great program, and neither is coach Saban," he said, per Stewart Mandel of The Athletic. "If that's not what's best for college football, why are we even doing it?"
Mandel noted Swinney suggested college football should revert back to its previous system where it would simply "elect" a national champion with two polls following the bowl games if another matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide isn't good for the sport.
This is the fifth year since the current four-team College Football Playoff system was put in place, and Monday's game will mark the fourth time the two programs have played each other in the postseason. Only 2014, when Ohio State defeated Alabama on its way to the national title, didn't feature a showdown between the Crimson Tide and Tigers.
Nick Saban's team won the national championship game in the 2015 season, Deshaun Watson enacted revenge in the 2016 season's title game for the Tigers and Alabama won last year's semifinal showdown before defeating Georgia for the championship.
The Crimson Tide won 24-6 with relative ease last season, handling a Tigers team that was playing without the generational talent of Watson. Clemson will have Trevor Lawrence under center this time, and he will be asked to match the firepower of Heisman Trophy finalist Tua Tagovailoa on the other sideline.
While Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma have presented challenges and battled for championships at times, Alabama and Clemson have separated themselves from the rest of the college football world.
That may lead to fatigue and frustration from fans of other programs, but Swinney and Saban have dominated in the current system. The Clemson coach wasn't feeling apologetic for it, either.
Clemson's Trevor Lawrence Has Been on Fast Track to Stardom Since Adolescence
Jan 4, 2019
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) warms up before the NCAA Cotton Bowl semi-final playoff football game against Notre Dame on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/ Jeffrey McWhorter)
In many ways, this outcome was preordained. Those who witnessed Trevor Lawrence throwing a football at some point over the last five years knew this day would come.
They saw Lawrence break Deshaun Watson's state passing records in his four years at Cartersville High Schoolâa storied high school career in the state of Georgia that takes on new meaning now that he has followed Watson's footsteps at Clemson. They watched him win 41 consecutive games and two state championships, all while blossoming into the No. 1 recruit in America.
And come Monday night, they will see if the 19-year-old is able to do what only three quarterbacks have done in the past four years: conquer mighty Alabama.
While it would be unreasonable to assume a true freshman would be up for such a formidable assignment, especially in the national championship game, what has become clear over the past few months is that this is no ordinary true freshman.
"He's so far and away ahead of every other college quarterback right now," says one NFL scout of Lawrence, who still has two years before he can declare for the NFL draft. "He has elite accuracy and arm strength, he's poised, he manages the game and he wins. ... Maybe the best thing I can say is that I can't find a negative. That and he hasn't really had an elite defense press him. He will next week."
Cartersville's head coach, Joey King, first laid eyes on Lawrence when he was an eighth-grader. Even then, King knew Lawrence was special. He saw a tall, powerful right-hander who was developed beyond his age.
Lawrence grew up a fan of Peyton Manning, hearing about his exploits at Tennessee and watching him excel in the NFL. Not just how he threw, but the way he could manipulate the game's biggest moments to his advantage on the fly. It's why, at Clemson, he wears No. 16, Manning's number at Tennessee.
The comparisons to his idol started coming in his sophomore year of high school. Cam Cameron, who recruited Manning as an assistant coach at Michigan in the early 1990s, told King that Lawrence reminded him of the quarterback he missed out on decades earlier. Only he felt Lawrence was more mobile and even had a slightly better arm.
"I don't put limits on anything when it comes to Trevor," King says. "To say I've been surprised about anything that has happened this year simply wouldn't be true. I expected him to play and do well, and that's what he's done."
During his time at Cartersville, Lawrence amassed 13,902 passing yards and 161 passing touchdownsâboth Georgia high school records. As a senior, with the recruiting world curious if the uber-hyped QB could validate all that was being said and written, he threw 41 touchdown passes and only one interception.
Troup County High School in LaGrange, Georgia, was victimized by a handful of those touchdown throws in consecutive years. Before Troup first matched up against Cartersville, head coach Tanner Glisson reached out to a friend on an SEC coaching staff who was recruiting Lawrence.
He knew this staff had watched more tape on the QB than anyone. If someone could help identify a weakness in his game, this was the source. The response he got back ultimately prepared him for the results to follow: Lawrence didn't have a weakness.
"When Trevor throws a ball, you can actually hear it coming," Glisson says. "It makes a different sound. There is just no comparison to anything I've ever seen. He's a once-in-a-generation-type kid."
Glisson coached against Lawrence twiceâboth in for the Region 5-AAAA title game. Cartersville won both games handily.
"I told our staff that he is not just an NFL first-rounder," Glisson says. "He is going to be the No. 1 overall pick. I said that years ago, and I 100 percent believe it now."
Trevor Lawrence
In December of 2016, Lawrence verbally committed to Clemson over Georgia. He did so during his junior year largely because he wanted to calm the hysteria surrounding his recruitment.
He had heard enough sales pitches and done enough interviews. While the attention was unavoidableâboth locally and nationallyâthe QB did his part to avoid it as much as he could.
"I'm not really into all the media stuff," Lawrence told Bleacher Report after he committed.
His commitment to Clemson marked the second consecutive season that the Tigers landed a 5-star quarterback, although Lawrence shared no concerns about competing with players who had at least a full year of college experience under their belts.
Since Lawrence arrived in January of 2018, four Clemson quarterbacks have transferred from the program.
Zerrick Cooper and Tucker Israel both announced they were transferring shortly after Lawrence enrolled. In May, 5-star QB Hunter Johnson left after being one of Clemson's most coveted recruits in 2017.
During the season, Kelly Bryant departed after head coach Dabo Swinney named Lawrence the full-time starter, even though Bryant had led to Clemson to a 4-0 start. It only took that long for the freshman to fully unseat the team's playoff starter from a year ago. And yet, no one seemed all that surprised.
"We wouldn't have been fair to our team as coaches if we didn't give him that opportunity," co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott says. "At the end of the day, that was a defining moment for our team and our offense. They galvanized."
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 29: Trevor Lawrence #16 of the Clemson Tigers reacts in the second quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff Semifinal Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium on December 29, 2018 in
During the regular season, Lawrence threw 24 touchdown passes, despite sharing snaps the first month, and only four interceptions. He was brilliant at times, perhaps raw at others. But not raw in a sense most expect from a freshman quarterback. His was the kind of raw that makes one wonder just what he will look years from now, when his body and abilities are fully formed.
"He's just so poised," Swinney says. "And he's 6'6". He just sees it. And he's got a gift of an arm. But I just love his humility and how consistent he is with his demeanor and his preparation day in and day out. Easy, easy, easy guy to coach and easy guy to get behind and support."
Lawrence's performance in Clemson's overwhelming 30-3 win over Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl served as the first of what are certain to be many defining moments to come.
It wasn't just the 327 passing yards and three touchdowns, or a second quarter in which he threw for more than 200 yards and buried the Irish in a 15-minute stretch. It was the individual playsâlike his surgical 42-yard touchdown pass to freshman wideout Justyn Ross in the middle of the field.Â
One NFC top-level evaluator told B/R after the game that it was the best he's seen a freshman play since Andrew Luck at Stanford. "Every ball he throws is almost perfect," Ross said. "You have to try to drop the ball if you're going to."
In the postgame, Lawrence wasn't giddy or overwhelmed about securing a trip to Santa Clara, California, to play in the national championship game. Like he has done the last five years, the quarterback pushed the spotlight off himself and onto the many gifted athletes on the roster. Â
"It makes it a lot easier on me when you have guys all around you that are just great players and take that load off of you," the freshman said. "There's not much pressure when you have guys this good playing around you."
He isn't wrong. Clemson's stable of 6'4" wideouts and lightning-bolt running back Travis Etienne would be enough to give the Tigers a puncher's chance against Alabama, even with one of the four QBs that departed instead of Lawrence.
But Lawrence holds the ingredients to engineer the upset. Not just the wealth of physical gifts that should push Alabama, but also a certain serenity that has helped fast-track his development.
This is more than a hope and a prayer for Clemson, which has a legitimate counter to sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who became a star as a true freshman in the title game a season ago. Lawrence will attempt to do the same, although Nick Saban and Alabama have derailed plenty of the most optimistic game plans in the past.
Many have tried, most have failed, but it can be done. Watson showed us what was possible two years ago against this opponent on this stage. It'll likely require a similar Herculean effort from Lawrence for Clemson to win its second national championship in three years.
That might seem like a lot to ask of a true freshman thrust into the biggest moment of his life against one of the most challenging opponents he will ever play. In most ordinary situations, that is true. But nothing about these past five years or the player himself is anything close to ordinary.
  Â
Matt Hayes and Matt Miller contributed to this report.
Clemson's Dexter Lawrence Will Remain Suspended for CFP Championship vs. Alabama
Jan 3, 2019
Clemson defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence (90) warms up before the first half of an NCAA college football game between Georgia Tech and Clemson, Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jon Barash)
Clemson starting defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence will remain suspended and won't play in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Alabama on Monday.
According to ESPN.com, Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich released the following statement Thursday regarding Lawrence and two other suspended players:
"Clemson will not have tight end Braden Galloway, offensive lineman Zach Giella and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence available for Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship against Alabama. However, Clemson has been informed by the NCAA that the three student-athletes will be permitted to travel to Santa Clara, Calif., with the team later this week.
"As requested by these student-athletes, Clemson filed notices of appeal with the NCAA. We will continue to work with the three impacted student-athletes and their legal representatives over the coming weeks to prepare the appeals. Neither Clemson, Galloway, Giella nor Lawrence anticipate having further comment on this matter until after the appeals have concluded."
B samples of drug tests administered to Lawrence, Galloway and Giella showed trace amounts of the banned substance ostarine last week.
All three players were held out of the Cotton Bowl, which saw Clemson beat Notre Dame 30-3 to advance to the title game.
ESPN.com noted that there have been cases of ostarine being included in supplements and not listed as an ingredient.
Lawrence denied knowingly taking the substance: "We get tested regularly and we know not to do anything stupid or selfish like that. That's why this is such a shock."
The three Clemson players could be suspended for as long as one year depending on their appeals, but Lawrence has the option of declaring for the NFL draft.
On his most recent big board, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller ranked Lawrence as the No. 20 overall player and No. 6 defensive lineman in the 2019 NFL draft class.
In 13 games this season, Lawrence registered 36 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception as Clemson's primary run stuffer.
The 340-pound junior was replaced by senior Albert Huggins in the Cotton Bowl.
Huggins finished with one tackle against Notre Dame as part of a defensive line that features a potential trio of NFL first-round picks in Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant and Christian Wilkins.
With Lawrence out, Huggins will likely start again in the title game and he will be tasked with slowing down an Alabama rushing attack led by Josh Jacobs, Damien Harris and Najee Harris.
