Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence knew about life under the spotlight well before the team selected him in last year’s draft. He was the No. 1 recruit coming out of high school in 2018 and was as advertised at Clemson where he was a national champion.
As a result, Lawrence is qualified to give those with plans to eventually play in the NFL advice. He’s especially qualified to give No. 1 recruits advice, and he did just that this week when asked about 2023’s top high school recruit, Arch Manning.
In a recent Q&A with The Spun, Lawrence said Manning should listen to those closest to him. He also said that if Manning shows up ready to learn and grow, he’ll be able to overcome any adversity he faces.
“I’m sure he has a lot of good people in his corner that can help him, but I’d say it’s really important to learn how to manage expectations.” Lawrence said when asked what advice he’d give Manning. “It’s important to block out all the noise. The only voices you should listen to are your internal expectations of yourself, your teammates, your coaches and family. You should try to block everything else out.”
“There’s going to be a lot on his plate, but you have to show up ready to learn and grow. You’re not going to be perfect from Day 1, but he is really talented and has a lot of abilities. He needs to carry that confidence over while knowing you do have to start over. You have to do that at every level. It’s something I’m going through right now in the NFL. So you need to realize you’re there for a reason, but you have to earn that respect from your teammates. He seems like a quarterback who’ll do great.”
Manning, who has committed to the University of Texas, will have plenty of experienced players from the NFL to lean on. As many are aware, his grandfather is Archie Manning, who spent 11 seasons in the NFL. He will have his uncles Peyton and Eli Manning to call on for help, too, as both have a combined total of 33 years of NFL experience.
As for Lawrence, he isn’t a bad choice to seek advice from, either, especially when considering how he was able to endure what was the most disastrous Jags season in history under Urban Meyer. However, better things could be on the horizon for Lawrence as the team has replaced Meyer with a former Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson.
