Hafley Sees Trevor Lawrence as the ‘Future of the NFL’
Jeff Hafley has coached against just about every elite quarterback in today’s NFL. He spent seven years in the league as a defensive assistant, preparing secondaries for the likes of Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, and Russell Wilson.
The 41-year-old knows good quarterback play when he sees it. In his eyes, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has the makings of a star at the next level.
“He knows how to play the position,” Hafley said after Wednesday’s practice, per BC Athletics. “He can sit in the pocket and be an NFL passer, and then he can extend plays by moving his feet, keeping his eyes down the field. Special arm, man. I do think he’s going to be the future of the NFL.”
Hafley said that when he watched him live for the first time during last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal, he was struck by the 6-foot-6 gunslinger’s toughness. Hafley, then Ohio State’s co-defensive coordinator, noted how Lawrence weathered big hit after big hit.
Hafley recounted how Clemson’s designed quarterback runs exposed the Buckeyes’ defense in that Fiesta Bowl defeat. Leading up to the game, Hafley had a conversation with BC special teams coordinator Matt Thurin, who, at the time, was Ohio State’s defensive quality control coach. Hafley knew that Lawrence was a threat on the ground, but he asked Thurin how much designed quarterback run (QB powers, counters, etc.) the Tigers had called in the 2019 season. It wasn’t many plays, Hafley recalled Wednesday.
But, lo and behold, in the second quarter, trailing, 16-7, Lawrence took a quarterback draw 67 yards to the house, juking out a pair of Ohio State defenders in the open field along the way. Lawrence finished the night with 16 carries for 107 yards.
Hafley said that it was a lesson for him as a coach to never make assumptions when game planning, especially for a matchup with those kinds of stakes.
As good as Lawrence was toward the end of last season, Hafley believes that the potential No. 1 overall pick is even better this fall. The rookie head coach discussed how Lawrence has a “liver body” this season, mentioning that he’s got an extra twitch to him.
Hafley went on to say that Lawrence has shown a greater pocket presence in 2020. He’s sitting back there, going through his progressions, and using a quick release to make all his throws on time, Hafley said. The improvement is evident on the stat sheet.
Lawrence has jumped in practically every statistical category this season. He’s averaging an ACC-best 305.5 passing yards per game—61.2 more than last season—and he’s completing 70.7% of his passes, a 4.9% uptick from 2019. He’s also thrown 17 touchdowns this year, tied for the second most in the country.
Two spots below him on the ACC passing leaderboard is BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec. The redshirt sophomore told reporters Wednesday that he met Lawrence at the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Jurkovec talked about how the two quarterbacks both played for the East team, in addition to practicing and hanging out together during game week.
“He’s a really good guy,” Jurkovec said. I wish the best for him, but they’ve had so much success, and we have a chance of beating them. It’s a huge opportunity for us.”
The Notre Dame transfer will look to become the first Eagles signal caller to eclipse the 140-yard passing mark against Clemson since Chase Rettig back in 2013. In all likelihood, he’ll have to do far more than just clearing that bar on Saturday to outduel Lawrence.
Jurkovec is the future of BC football, but, as Hafley says, Lawrence is the future of the NFL.