‘Let it rip’: The 2025 Trevor Lawrence renaissance

Picture from Clremson Wire - USA Today

The Jacksonville Jaguars dropped their home stand wild-card matchup to the Buffalo Bills in a tight afternoon game, 27-24. This game ended a year that proved to be the resurgence of former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

In his first season with head coach Liam Coen, Lawrence boasted a 13-4 record and led the Jaguars to an AFC South title. Lawrence put up 4,007 passing yards, a 29-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a passer rating of 91.0. He also found his feet for 359 rushing yards and 9 rushing touchdowns, both career highs for Lawrence.

“When you have a guy like that, you always have a chance to win,” Jaguars wide receiver Tim Patrick stated about Lawrence.

After his first four seasons were plagued by injury, awful coaching and incompetent roster building, Lawrence has finally hit his stride. The last eight games of the regular season were a testament to this development, winning all eight games and averaging nearly 33 points per game in the process. On top of that, Lawrence ranked No. 4 in total passing yards, No. 3 in yards per pass attempt, No. 2 in passing touchdowns and had the fifth-lowest turnover-worthy play rate during that stretch of the season.

The key to this rise has definitely been the mindset that Coen implemented into Lawrence’s mind: “let it rip.” Playing freely and confidently without worrying about mistakes or turnovers led Lawrence to a 15-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the final six games of the season, earning him the AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for both December and January. If Lawrence had a stronger statistical start to the season, there would be a strong argument for the former Clemson Tiger to be in MVP conversations.

Alongside Coen, Lawrence’s development is far from finished, and he is only just hitting the beginning of his true NFL prime.

“I think the consistency, accuracy, pocket movements. I’d say extending plays,” Lawrence recalls, on the topic of his changes in the season. “Some of those things are improvements that I wanted to make, and I did. I think that it’s all those things, continuing to refine them and getting better and better.”

Lawrence added that he wanted to continue to improve accuracy and refine different arm angles in his throwing motion.

Travis Etienne Jr., a former Clemson teammate of Lawrence’s and now a current Jaguars teammate, believes there is still more for Lawrence to improve on in his mindset. It all ties to Coen’s philosophy of “let it rip.”

“I would say the biggest thing for him is just let his nuts hang, I guess. Just be cocky, stop caring what people think,” Etienne stated to Jacksonville.com. “You’re the man. Just go out there, be yourself, make plays and just play fearlessly with reckless abandon.”

Despite improvements still incoming for Lawrence and the Jaguars as a whole, the 2025 campaign was a reminder of who Lawrence is, and it reminded Clemson fans of the days he used to don the orange and white. For the future of the Jaguars, there surely is a hope and a feeling, especially in Lawrence, that the success they reached in 2025 is sustainable for years to come.

STORY ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN CLEMSON UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER, THE TIGER.