But actions often speak louder than words. On Monday morning the team put out a simple statement saying that Lawrence will start for the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) against Syracuse (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday. Lawrence's improvement and production, particularly in last week's 49-21 victory at Georgia Tech, could not be ignored, according to Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott. "It just came down to, you've got to reward productivity," Elliott said. "If you look at (Lawrence's) opportunities, he's taken advantage of them. Kelly didn't do anything wrong." Elliott cautioned that Lawrence's elevation is just for this week and the competition with Bryant for playing time will continue. "Kelly has done a lot for this team," Elliott said. "Again, this is just this week." The 6-foot-6 Lawrence was the country's top quarterback prospect this past year. He enrolled in January, went through spring drills and competed with Bryant throughout the offseason for the starting spot. Bryant came out on top to start the season, though, as Lawrence played all four games as the second QB in in Clemson's two-player rotation. But Lawrence has been the most effective of the two since the season started. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards and a career-high four touchdown throws to rally the Tigers offense after a slow start with Bryant behind center. Lawrence led Clemson on four TD drives in a five-series span in the second and third quarters as the team took control of the Yellow Jackets. He was named the ACC's rookie of the week. Statistically, Lawrence has outplayed Bryant. Lawrence has completed 39 of 60 passes for 600 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Bryant has thrown for 461 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in four games.<doc-sep>Clemson is making a switch at quarterback. The program announced Monday morning that true freshman Trevor Lawrence will start on Saturday against Syracuse, taking over for senior Kelly Bryant. Lawrence and Bryant have split time throughout the season, but Lawrence received the bulk of the playing time in the Week 4 win over Georgia Tech. On their first two drives of the game, the Tigers mustered just 13 total yards and one first down with Bryant at quarterback. With Lawrence in the game, Clemson scored on three of its next four drives. Lawrence finished the game 13-of-18 for 176 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. By comparison, Bryant, who re-entered the game with Clemson holding a big lead, was 6-of-10 for 56 yards. Through four games, Lawrence is 39-of-60 for 600 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Bryant is 36-of-54 for 461 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Bryant has 130 rushing yards compared to 24 for Lawrence. Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (16) throws downfield for a completion against Texas A&M during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft) What does this mean for Clemson? Despite the 4-0 start, Clemson’s offense has been underwhelming at times. In Week 3 against Georgia Southern, the Tigers did not score until midway through the second quarter. The offense had yet another slow start on Saturday against Georgia Tech. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has typically gone to Lawrence on the third offensive series of the game, and this game was no different. With Lawrence under center, the Tigers went right down the field, going 74 yards in seven plays capped off with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Lawrence to Hunter Renfrow. The Tigers needed just two plays the next time out, with Lawrence connecting with a wide-open Justyn Ross for a 53-yard score. Lawrence threw an interception on Clemson’s next drive, but finished out the half with a third touchdown pass, this time to running back Travis Etienne with just five seconds left in the half. It was indicative of how things have been throughout the year, as detailed by ESPN’s David Hale. The offense has just been more productive with Lawrence at quarterback: Story continues Drive by drive breakdown of Kelly Bryant vs. Trevor Lawrence. Kelly’s been good. Trevor’s been… real good. pic.twitter.com/6O6HDN3vRC — A David Hale joint (@DavidHaleESPN) September 24, 2018 If it became clear to Swinney and the rest of the staff that the team was better with Lawrence, it was the right time to make a move. “He really played well. Certainly his best game so far,” Swinney said during his Sunday teleconference. “He was very poised. The game has slowed down for him. He’s making good decisions. He made a nice check on the touchdown to Hunter Renfrow. He made some beautiful throws and then he missed one there. Just some technical things he can clean up. But he managed the pocket well. He’s accurate. He took advantage of what I call some layups, things that are built into the run game. He did a lot of good things, for sure. Definitely still room for improvement. Every week is a season of its own. But definitely his best game. Six drives and he had five touchdowns.” Clemson is following a familiar blueprint Back in 2014, Clemson began the year with senior Cole Stoudt as its starting quarterback while giving a freshman named Deshaun Watson some playing time as well. By the time Week 4 rolled around, Swinney made Watson, a five-star recruit, his starter. It took Lawrence, also a five-star recruit, a week longer than Watson to earn the No. 1 role. That’s because of Bryant’s track record — a 16-2 record in 18 career starts. Bryant spent two seasons as Watson’s backup before seizing the starting role in 2017. He had a pretty good year, throwing for 2,802 yards while completing 65.8 percent of his passes to lead the Tigers back to the College Football Playoff. But he threw only 13 touchdowns to go with eight interceptions and struggled mightily in Clemson’s CFP semifinal loss to Alabama. Lawrence enrolled early as the country’s No. 1 quarterback prospect and quickly impressed. Lawrence moved past Hunter Johnson, a five-star recruit from the 2017 class, on the depth chart, prompting Johnson’s transfer to Northwestern. But Swinney wasn’t ready to name Lawrence for Week 1, so he followed the blueprint of 2014. More from Yahoo Sports: • Tiger’s win is the greatest comeback in sports history • White Sox star says what many think about umpire • Charles Robinson: Latest flag on Packers’ Matthews may be worst yet • Rams’ Gurley really isn’t a fan of Thursday games<doc-sep>Feel that, college football? Clemson’s ceiling just shifted upward with a single announcement Monday morning – Trevor Lawrence will start against Syracuse. The five-star true freshman is the unquestionable future for the Tigers, a presence so looming a fellow five-star (Hunter Johnson) opted to transfer from the school this summer. Now Lawrence is Clemson’s present too, and the team is better for it. Kelly Bryant ably guided Clemson in the post-Deshaun Watson era. The Tigers were 16-2 under his watch as a starter, and they reached the College Football Playoff in 2017. But there’s little doubt watching Lawrence the last few weeks Clemson can go further with the big-armed freshman leading the way. Lawrence is completing 65 percent of his passes early in 2018 for 600 yards and nine touchdowns against a pair of interceptions. Most importantly, Lawrence is averaging 10 yards an attempt. That's an indication the Tigers are willing to cut it loose downfield, allowing Lawrence to lead instead of managing the game. Bryant, for all of his winning, did much more of managing than dissecting a defense. He’s completing a higher rate of his passes (66.7 percent), but Bryant’s yard per attempt number sits at 8.5. More notably, he often attempts to mitigate risk. Bryant’s only thrown a single interception, but h’s also thrown just two touchdown through four games. The Tigers are more willing to cut it loose under Lawrence’s direction, and that’s telling when you’re referring to a true freshman displacing a senior. You saw Bryant's limitations in the Sugar Bowl last year when Alabama practically dared the Tigers to throw it. Alabama swarmed in the box, limiting Clemson to 1.9 yards per carry. That left throwing lanes open, especially on the edges of the field. Clemson attempted to take advantage of them, throwing it 37 times. The result was a measly 3.4 yards per pass and a 18-for-37 124-yard performance with more INTs (2) than the Tigers managed to score touchdowns (0). You must be able to contend with defenses the likes of the Tide in order to win a championship. Lately, the game plan against the Tigers has been the same as what Alabama ably employed – make Bryant beat you with his arm. That will shift with Lawrence under center. It’s a small sample size, but Lawrence is already the ACC’s best passer if ESPN’s QBR is any indication. He had a 97.8 rating in Week 3 versus Georgia Southern and a 93 rating last week against Georgia Tech. Lawrence is the only ACC QB this year with two weekly ratings of 93 or better, and he didn’t take enough snaps the first two weeks to qualify for the list. Bryant holds a 39.6 QBR for the season, which slots 12th in the ACC among 14 qualified passers and 105th nationally. If you include Lawrence in the national rankings with his limited sample size, he’d slot ninth. QBR is far from a perfect ranking system, and there’s more to what a QB can do than his ability to throw. Bryant is a well-respected leader and can create with his legs. But in the context of winning championships, Lawrence is the QB who gives Clemson its best chance to win a title. The Tigers have elite receivers that can attack a defense vertically, Lawrence is best equipped to get the ball in their hands. Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney knows this. He’s positively gushed about Lawrence since he signed with the program, and now he’ll get at least three opportunities to win a title under Lawrence’s direction. The QB they call “Sunshine” is now the lead man in Clemson. It was just a matter of time.<doc-sep>
It looks like Clemson is going with the young gun over the returning starter as the Tigers will start true freshman Trevor Lawrence over senior Kelly Bryant. Lawrence was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the country while Bryant led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff last season. From ESPN.com A week ago, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he would make a change at quarterback when one player clearly separated himself on the field. That's exactly what happened when Trevor Lawrence looked dominant in a win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, and the school announced Monday that the freshman would be the No. 3 Tigers' new starter. Kelly Bryant, who led Clemson to the College Football Playoff last season, has started all four games this season, but Lawrence, the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation this year according to ESPN, has been superb coming off the bench, including completing 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday. "After four games, just looking at it, they've both played well, but this came down to you have to reward productivity. He's taken advantage of [opportunities]," co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said Monday. "Kelly didn't do anything wrong, but it's a situation where he's been in the game and productive, and to be fair to competition, just like we do for every position, Coach decided to name him the starter." Elliott did say both quarterbacks will continue to get reps with the first-team offense and the starting role will continue to be a week-to-week decision, but Lawrence has earned the right to start his first game as a Tiger this week. One wrinkle in the situation is that Bryant, a senior this season, could opt to sit the remainder of the season and take a redshirt in accordance with the NCAA's new redshirt rules. This would allow him to transfer following the season and play immediately elsewhere with one season of eligibility remaining. If Lawrence does take over the starting quarterback duties, it would mean the top-two programs in the country have each benched a returning starter who led them to the College Football Playoff in favor of a highly-rated, young and talented quarterback – much like Ohio State fans were calling for the Buckeyes to do last year. It's a new era of college football.