Trevor Lawrence is no fan of recruiting process

Trevor Lawrence turned after hearing his name called once again. A young football fan, perhaps in his mid-teens, wanted to take a photo with the high-profile Cartersville quarterback, just like parents, teammates and others in attendance for the Purple Hurricanes’ semifinal win over Mary Persons had just done.

The photo was snapped, and Lawrence shook the fan’s hand.

“Commit to the ‘G,’” the fan said.

“Go Dogs,” said another.

It’s something Lawrence gets all the time.

In the state of Georgia, Lawrence, regarded as the nation’s clear-cut No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2018, can barely go anywhere without someone suggesting he join the Bulldogs.

The attention placed on his recruitment only continues to intensify.

Lawrence is down to Georgia and Clemson, although it remains to be seen when he makes a final decision. He was initially expected to commit to a school in August but decided to keep his recruitment open.

Through the season, Lawrence has stayed mum on the topic. While he’s one of the top overall prospects in his class, the attention that comes with it isn’t something he enjoys. Lawrence brushed aside much of the recruiting talk to lead his team to another undefeated season and state championship berth. His Cartersville squad is set to play Thomson in the GHSA Class 4A title game Saturday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

“I love focusing on the team. I hate all the recruiting stuff and doing all that,” Lawrence said. “Doing all of that stuff is not my favorite. But this is really fun now.”

Against Mary Persons, Lawrence put on a show in front of the home crowd. He threw for 227 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-17 win against a defense that features pass-rusher Malik Herring, who recently committed to play football at Georgia.

But Lawrence, 6-foot-6 and 196 pounds as a high school junior, possesses a lot of quickness to extend plays and did so quite a bit in the backfield. He took off occasionally to showcase the kind of speed that could suit him for a spread offense like Clemson’s.

His arm is every bit as talented as Georgia quarterback Jacob Eason’s was in high school, given the velocity he showed on throws from the middle of the field to the sideline.

Like Eason, who was regarded as one of the top two quarterbacks in last year’s recruiting class, Lawrence has had to adjust with being in the spotlight with the ever-growing platform recruiting has been given.

Some players enjoy the limelight that accompanies four- and five-star status. For instance, Herring and Newton receiver Jeremiah Holloman announced their Georgia commitments in a joint Christmas video published to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Dawg Nation website. Georgia commits Jake Fromm and Richard LeCounte III joined in to help with it.

Lawrence, conversely, has taken a low-key approach and isn’t fond of the extra attention. If he’s out and about, his guard is up since he, as a junior in high school, is essentially already a public figure.

At the same time, he has an idea of how magnified his life will be at the college level, especially if he lives up to the billing he has been tagged with.

Therefore, a delicate balance exists for Lawrence as he wades through his recruitment.

“At first, it’s rough being under a microscope, just in high school,” Lawrence said. “But it’s good for me. It keeps me out of trouble. I think it’s good for me. ... It’s going to prepare me for college. I’m excited for it.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2016 at 2:48 PM with the headline "Trevor Lawrence is no fan of recruiting process."