Swinney announces change at quarterback

TigerNet Staff by

Clemson has a new starting quarterback.

Freshman former five-star prospect Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdown passes and led five touchdown drives in six possessions in No. 2 Clemson's 49-21 win at Georgia Tech on Saturday. That was enough to earn Lawrence the No. 1 spot on Monday's depth chart release for the Syracuse game (noon on Saturday, ABC).

Senior Kelly Bryant had started the last 18 games and the Tigers went 16-2 in that span, with one loss coming after Bryant was knocked out mid-game last year at Syracuse. Lawrence earned his way on the field Saturday after Bryant's opening two drives earned one first down in seven plays. The Upstate native Bryant did lead a 10-play scoring drive in the second half to put Clemson up 42-14.

In 2018, Bryant is 36-for-54 passing for 461 yards and two passing touchdowns for a QB rating of 146.90.

Splitting reps with Bryant all season, Lawrence ranks in the top-10 nationally in passer rating (8th) and yards per attempt (10th).

For the season, Lawrence is 39-for-60 passing for 600 yards with nine touchdowns and only two interceptions for a QB rating of 191.8.

Elliott on #Clemson QB change: “You’ve got to reward productivity.” — TigerNet.com (@ClemsonTigerNet) September 24, 2018

Elliott: Any future rotation will be up to coaching decisions and made week-to-week. QB change decision was made after watching the film from GT. — TigerNet.com (@ClemsonTigerNet) September 24, 2018