Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is joining the team at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, but his role won’t be his preferred spot under center.
Lawrence will wear a headset and be used as a sounding board for freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who helped the Tigers escape an upset bid at home last week against Boston College.
The task is vastly different on Saturday.
No. 1 Clemson and Uiagalelei, a top recruit making his second career start, expect a difficult test from the No. 4-ranked Fighting Irish. Head coach Dabo Swinney thinks Lawrence, out after a positive COVID-19 test, can help.
“He’s been there. I think he’ll be able to bring a great presence,” Swinney said Wednesday. “He’s got a great mind. He’s got great eyes. So he’s going to be Coach Lawrence.”
Clemson trailed Boston College by 18 points last week, and Uigalelei helped to guide the Tigers back in the second half of a 34-28 win. Lawrence was not with the team last weekend. He’s required to miss this week due to the timing of his positive COVID-19 test and ACC rules stipulating players cannot return before sitting out 10 days.
“He’s been in the meetings. He’s been Zooming and all that stuff,” Swinney said. “He’s doing well. He’s anxious to get out. He gets back with us Thursday or Friday. So he’ll be with us. He’ll travel with us. He just can’t play because of the cardiac-back-to-play protocol (within the conference 10-day period). There’s no way to get him through that in time for him to play in the game.”