Trevor Lawrence to Act as Coach for Notre Dame Game, Says Clemson’s Dabo Swinney

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Trevor Lawrence won’t be cleared to play for Saturday’s game against Notre Dame, but the Clemson quarterback will still help his team from the sidelines in South Bend, Indiana.

“He’s an incredibly knowledgeable guy and he’s been there, so he’ll be able to bring a great presence to D.J. [Uiagalelei],” head coach Dabo Swinney said Tuesday, per David M. Hale of ESPN. “He’s got a great mind and great eyes, so he’s going to be Coach Lawrence.”

Lawrence will have completed the mandatory 10-day isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 before Saturday’s game, but he still has to go through testing to identify any symptoms of myocarditis. The school also has a “reacclimatization” period of two days before players can return to action.

Swinney had previously explained that Lawrence had remained active with the team even when isolated, per Andrea Adelson of ESPN:

“He’ll be in every meeting, we can Zoom him into practice, so he can stay engaged and make his comments and things like that to support those guys, and participate in traveling with us as well. Obviously can’t play, but he can still make a contribution with his presence, his encouragement and his eyes, but he can be in every meeting, he can be in every practice.”

Lawrence was unavailable for last week’s game against Boston College, leaving freshman quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei to keep the undefeated season alive. Though the Tigers trailed 28-10 in the first half, Uiagalelei helped lead a comeback while finishing with 342 passing yards and two touchdowns, adding one score on the ground.

The young quarterback will have a tougher challenge Saturday against No. 4 Notre Dame, which has a defense that ranks fourth in the country with just 10.3 points allowed per game.

Having Lawrence on the sidelines, with 36 career games and a national title on his resume, could help provide a boost to the offense and keep the Tigers at No. 1 in the AP poll.