CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (WRBL) – Even in high school Trevor Lawrence filled a trophy case full of accomplishments. He was the Gatorade Player of the Year, the Atlanta Touchdown Club Player of the Year, and won two GHSA State Football Championships.
Before he took his first snap for the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes, there was a ton of hype around Lawrence’s talents. His sky high potential was clear from the beginning.
“Just from day one he just impressed us. You hear a lot about 8th graders. Sometimes it gets overblown but this kid was exceptional,” said current Cartersville Head Coach Conor Foster.
Lawrence was never one to rest on his accomplishments. He was one of the hardest workers in the on the roster.
“If we’re running sprints, or running or doing conditioning he was going to be in the front. If we’re lifting he’s going to work hard while we’re lifting in the weight room. If the 5-star quarterback or the best player in the country, if he can go and do everything he’s asked to then I should be able to do it as well,” said Cartersville Offensive Line Coach Reggie Perkins.
Lawrence’s hard work paid off because his high school career records are staggering. Lawrence led the Purple Hurricanes to two State Championships. He threw for 13,902 passing yards and 161 passing touchdowns, both accomplishments are still State Records. He never once made it about himself.
“He made it great for everybody. A tremendous teammate, and I think that’s what probably impressed these college coaches a lot. They have to recruit guys that are about the drama or about they hype. It was never about that for Trevor,” said Coach Foster.
His humble and down to the earth demeanor never waivered as the national spotlight grew bigger and bigger. Trevor was always there to take care of the fans that cheered him on.
“You know I stood many nights on a football field in Trevor’s junior year and his senior year as well. He would stand out there until the very last small kid brought their football up to sign. If it took an hour after the game, he was going to stand there until he took care of every kid that brought that up,” said Cartersville Athletic Director and Assistant Vice Principal Darrell Demastus.
While everything looked great with Trevor’s reputation and his play on the field, college recruiters kept on digging for some of his flaws. Those kind of questions became annoying to answer for the Cartersville coaches.
“It almost got tiresome for people to call and ask ‘Well what’s his flaw?’ or ‘What are we missing?’, ‘What’s the deal?’ and you know coach anything you ask he’s going to check that box,” said Coach Foster.
Number 1 seems to follow Trevor Lawrence a lot these days. He’s led Cartersville and Clemson to the top. He’s expected to be the number one overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. When we asked the Cartersville coaches where does Lawrence rank in all the players they’ve ever coached.
“No doubt the best I’ve ever seen,” said Coach Perkins.Foster. “Oh number one. He’s the most talented young man that I’ve ever come across.”
The 2021 NFL Draft starts Thursday April 29th, 2021 at 8:00 pm Eastern.
