Trevor Lawrence: Raising Young Men

Google “nation’s number 1 high school quarterback” and of the 10 articles on the first page, Trevor Lawrence is mentioned in 8 and is listed as the “nation’s #1 quarterback” in 7. USA Today HS Sports noted that, “Lawrence threw for 3,904 yards and 51 touchdowns last season, leading Cartersville to a 15-0 record and a GHSA Class 4A state championship.” And Nick Saban’s helicopter landing on the football field of Cartersville High School seals his hometown hero status for sure! (I feel the need to add a Roll Tide right here.) His impressive athletic prowess is evident, so I’ll stop there.

And as impressive as his stats are, they aren’t why you’re reading about him right now.

While I do not know Trevor Lawrence, I know several of his high school peers, teachers, teammates, & friends; I have not heard the first negative word about Trevor. Not a word of jealousy or slight, nothing. They all, everyone of them, talk about what a great guy he is, what an inspiration and an example, how good he makes people feel, & how well he handles all of the “fame”. Here’s a sample of what I’ve been hearing:

 

“His focus isn’t just football, it carries into the classroom.” – Tristan Carlton (team mate)

 

“He really knows how to humble himself, he’s earned the right to act however he wants really, but he doesn’t. He is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.” –Carson Murray (team mate)

“Trevor has a drive to grow into not only the best football player he can be, but the best person he can be.” – Parker Helms (Cartersville High School student)

 

“Trevor is a genuinely kind young man. He is never too busy to talk to or take pictures with students and teachers alike. He wants to be the normal teenager, and because of that, he tries to deflect the attention. He is even reluctant to stand on stage by himself to receive a personal award. Most teenage boys that get that type of notoriety let it go to their head…not Trevor. He is extremely competitive, but even though he is immensely talented, he really understands that football is a team sport.” – Chad Murray (soccer coach and teacher at Cartersville High School)
This humility & kindness that is mentioned every time I hear his name is what led me to try to learn more about THE Trevor Lawrence. Thanks to a very kind friend, and because Mrs. Lawrence is a jewel herself, I was able to glean some of what makes Trevor such an incredible young man.

Q: Many of my readers may not be incredibly familiar with the magnitude of Trevor’s achievements. Could you briefly share a little of that and some of the awards and titles he has received?

Mrs. Lawrence: I’m going to go to his room, because I don’t really remember.

Gatorade Player of the Year

High 5 Sports

Elite Stone Player of the Year

MVP All region 3 times

MVP All State 3 times

His team has won 2 State Championships

Nike Elite 11

All State Quarterback Award

2015 Offensive Player of the Year

2016 Player of the Year

Regional Player of the year (all three years in high school)

Sports Zone Play

2016 High School Football Athlete of the Year

#1 Quarterback in the nation in most ranking sites, ESPN has him at #3.

 

Q: Tell me a little about what this journey with Trevor has been like and what is going on in the Lawrence world right now.

Mrs. Lawrence: It’s been crazy, especially the past year or so. Football is continuous it seems like. There are a lot of events and camps and invitations and things like that. With Trevor’s notoriety it can get kind of hectic. If he is out, people come up to him, even in other states. And people have tweeted about “sightings”.

Q: When did you recognize, “hey, this kid is more than good. He’s really got something going on.”?

Mrs. Lawrence: I don’t think we ever really did. We always knew he was very athleticly gifted. God really gifted him in that way. When he was probably 9 or 10 we noticed he was above his peer level at that time. But always as a parent you question your bias.

 

Q: …what I am most intrigued by is WHO Trevor Lawrence is…most of the dialogue I am hearing is not about football. That is impressive, especially coming from his peers. Young men like the one I keep hearing about are rare, and on top of that you have the added challenge of immense small town fame with state and national recognition. As a mom of 2 young boys, I am interested in knowing how you raised such a clean nosed, kind, humble, and others minded young man.

Mrs. Lawrence: Part of it is simply his personality. We have really prayed and tried our best to stress the importance of God being #1 in his life. It’s difficult because we mess up sometimes, but we try to teach him integrity. What is modeled by you? Are you honest? Do you try to do the best by other people?

We try our best to teach him the Bible is your guide and there WILL be hard times. Just as sure as you’re on top you can be on bottom.

Football won’t last forever; and when that’s gone, who are you? Don’t let it become your identity.

He knows that life is full of ups and downs and learning. They’re going to make mistakes. [We try to teach] the difference in life changing mistakes (DUI’s for example) vs. learning mistakes.

We do stress that his talent is unusual. God gave it. Use it for good.

Q: Young men, some of which have already signed scholarships with D1 schools, making poor decisions in the face of such attention is a common headline. How have you guys guided him through the pitfalls that can come with all of the attention he is receiving?

Mrs. Lawrence: Even if people aren’t watching, I don’t want him to make that type of mistake. As parents, we work to know who his friends are, where he is, holding him accountable. We use headlines as lessons. It’s important that they understand that what you are doing may be innocent, but wrong people/wrong place can land you in a situation you can’t get out of.

Social media…always monitor social media…we try to help him understand the magnitude of what we say and the MANY ways it can be taken.

We try not to put information about him in front of him. It is distracting. My husband monitors it for us, because it can get hard for me too. (laughs) It is amazing at how petty it gets.

Q: To moms of young boys, what advice can you give?

Mrs. Lawrence: It is SO difficult. There is so much evil and bad stuff in the world. It is hard to shelter them from everything. Pray. A lot of prayer. And seek a lot of guidance from God. Teach them scripture. [It can be their compass and guide them when we cannot.] Find godly men to speak into their lives and be examples for them.

Trevor Lawrence is an incredible athlete, and while that makes him super cool to my boys, his character is what I pray they emulate. I cannot wait to watch him sling a ball against my Bama boys in a Clemson vs. UA re-match (I will get a ticket to that), but I would be honored to pass up the ticket for the opportunity to know this unicorn-rare young man.

It’s always exciting when a star rises from your little corner of the globe, but how peculiar it is when it shines on all of those around it.

You are peculiar; that you should proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.. 1 Peter 2:9