Even though Trevor Lawrence won’t play against Notre Dame, he’ll still be around. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney confirmed Tuesday that Lawrence will be on the sideline for the game. Although he will have cleared the 10-day isolation protocol by Thursday, he also must complete some cardiovascular tests for symptoms of myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle. All of those won’t be done in time for Saturday’s contest.
Perhaps Lawrence’s biggest role during the game will be mentoring D.J. Uiagalelei. Though highly touted, Uiagalelei still is a freshman with limited game experience. We got a good look at him when he started against Boston College, but how will he do against a punishing Irish defense? This will be his first real test as a collegiate player, and Lawrence knows the game better than pretty much any other player at this level.
No, Lawrence won’t appear in the box score Saturday, but to say he won’t have an impact on the game is quite presumptuous.