The hero of Monday’s national championship game is a Peyton Manning fan who wears Manning’s No. 16.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence grew up in Fall Branch, Tennessee, in the Tri-Cities region, and he took multiple recruiting visits to Tennessee while Butch Jones was the Vols’ coach.
But Lawrence chose a different shade of orange, and the true freshman helped No. 2 Clemson whip No. 1 Alabama 44-16 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Lawrence played his high school ball in Cartersville, Ga., and the Vols offered him a scholarship before his sophomore season. He signed with Clemson as the nation’s No. 1-ranked pro-style quarterback.
“Growing up, my favorite quarterback was Peyton Manning,” Lawrence told the Johnson City Press in December. “Now, one of my favorites is Aaron Rodgers, but with Peyton Manning, I liked the way he played, and how smart he was. He knew what was going on all around him and had total control.
“I used to be a Tennessee fan, and I grew up watching him after my family got me going on Tennessee. One thing that I’ve tried to do like him is just wanting to be the guy that knows everything and take control of the offense like he did.”
Lawrence and his Tigers were in control against Alabama. He completed 20 of 32 passes for 347 yards with three touchdowns.
“It was no surprise to me. I think he's played extremely well all year long,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said during the postgame news conference. “We knew that their receiving corps was probably the most talented that we've seen as a group all year long.”
Lawrence took over as Clemson's quarterback in Week 5. For the season, he completed 259 of 397 passes (65.2 percent) for 3,280 yards with 30 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Fellow East Tennessee natives Tee Higgins and Amari Rodgers combined for five receptions on Monday. Higgins snared a 5-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to cement the victory.
Now, Lawrence possesses something Manning never captured — a national championship.
“Just an unbelievable experience,” Lawrence said.
EAST TENNESSEE CONNECTION: Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers help Clemson beat Alabama
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