A Tar Heel State quarterback with long, blonde hair and the last name “Lawrence” had a chance to camp at Clemson earlier this summer.
Sound familiar?
Matthews (N.C.) Butler High’s Zach Lawerence — a 6-foot-2, 191-pound rising sophomore — competed in the Dabo Swinney back on June 1.
“It was really good, man,” Lawrence told The Clemson Insider in a phone interview last month. “I really liked it. It was a lot different from when I went the year before and I wasn’t invited. It was a lot different.”
What type of feedback did Lawrence receive from Clemson’s coaching staff?
“It was really, really positive,” he said. “I would’ve never expected for them to interact with me as much because I’m younger, it’s just not what I expected. They definitely left a good imprint on me and I got really good feedback from the quarterback’s coach (Brandon Streeter) — just on my motion and stuff like that, making it better.”
Lawrence said that getting an opportunity to be coached up by Clemson’s offensive coordinator was definitely one of his favorite parts of his Swinney Camp experience. He was also a fan of Streeter’s coaching style and added that it “made a lot of sense” and that he could “really relate to it.”
Once Lawrence went back to his high school, he noticed that he was a little bit better. He was a lot faster in his reads, as Clemson taught him a better version of his slide-drop, as well as helping him tweak his stance.
Lawrence indicated that he was able to implement what he learned during his time at Clemson at other places he camped this summer. In addition to Clemson, Lawrence camped at UNC, Virginia Tech, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Pitt, South Carolina, Georgia Tech and UNC Charlotte.
“The South Carolina camp — that was a big one for me,” Lawrence said. “I was able to do some of the drops and make some throws that I otherwise wouldn’t have made because I was ready to make them faster. That was one of the things at Clemson. They taught me how to get the ball out fast, which is really important to me.”
Getting a better feel for the Tar Heel State signal-caller and who he is as a player, Lawrence said that he’s pretty much a pocket passer, who has the ability to run but won’t do so unless he has to. He likes to stay in the pocket, but if he needs to get out of the pocket to make a throw, he certainly has enough ability to do that.
It goes without saying, that Lawrence’s first season as a varsity starter will be imperative for him and his recruitment. He picked up an offer from Boston College back in May and understands the gravity of the situation. Not every young quarterback is picking up an early offer from an ACC program, but Lawrence did this spring.
As far as goals and expectations go, he feels that his team can make a deep playoff run, especially when considering that Butler is one of the premier high school programs in the state of North Carolina.
“My expectation for me, at least, I’m striving for as little turnovers as I can — that’s a big thing for me,” he said. “I want no turnovers if possible, but super low turnovers with tons of yards and making sure I’m putting the ball in my receiver’s hands, making sure I get them touches. And also just taking what the defense gives me. Don’t go deep every single time.
“You gotta remember it’s not JV anymore. People are gonna be faster and they’re gonna be stronger. So, I can’t do what I did in JV — I have to re-think my whole approach, which is what I’ve been doing this summer. I feel really good about this season.”
— Photo for this article courtesy of @bobby.flix on Instagram.
Come out to support Clemson softball at Dear Old Clemson’s second event which is set for August 27 at the Madren Conference Center. Clemson returns one of the top teams in the nation and adds some new talent to the mix. If you sign up for certain club levels you get free access to all Dear Old Clemson events or purchase your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.
