CLEMSON, S.C. -- Dabo Swinney had seen the film, and Trevor Lawrence's talent was obvious. You didn't need to know much football to see the kid was just better than everyone else on the field. Swinney had talked to his assistants, too. Brandon Streeter had been Lawrence's primary recruiter, and Streeter raved about the QB's football smarts. And Swinney had chatted with Lawrence about his family and his goals and his commitment to Clemson and all the things that coaches talk about with recruits.
By January, however, the thing Swinney hadn't really done was sit down with his new QB and talk ball.