Clemson coach Dabo Swinney went from having one of the best quarterback depth charts in the country to a nightmare at football’s most important position in record-breaking time. And while the Tigers battled back to ruin Syracuse’s upset bid and stay unbeaten, everyone was talking about the QB who wasn’t at Clemson Memorial Stadium.
Saturday’s game doubled as true freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s first career start after Swinney made the switch from senior Kelly Bryant following last week’s win over Georgia Southern. Bryant subsequently announced that he would transfer, taking advantage of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule, which allows players who have played four or fewer games in a year to save a season of eligibility.