Former Clemson star Trevor Lawrence\u2019s leadership has clearly impressed his new Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, Liam Coen, and his new teammate, wide receiver\/defensive back Travis Hunter.<\/p>\n
Hunter and Coen each joined the Up & Adams show with host Kay Adams at Jaguars training camp in Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Both Coen and Hunter raved about Lawrence\u2019s leadership \u2013 something that might not necessarily show up about the franchise quarterback on film.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrevor is a fun guy. He\u2019s jolly and he pushes the guys. He\u2019s a great leader,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cSo, that\u2019s one thing that a lot of people probably misunderstand about him. But he\u2019s a great leader, and he knows how to control the offense and he understands what the coaches want from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hunter, the No. 2 overall pick in this year\u2019s draft, said he and Lawrence, the 2021 No. 1 overall pick, have been putting in extra work to hammer down their timing and rapport on the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a lot of timing things, just getting ready for the first preseason game, and just making sure our connection is what we want to display on gameday,\u201d Hunter said.<\/p>\n
Coen, who is entering his first season as the Jaguars\u2019 head coach following a highly successful stint as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers\u2019 offensive coordinator in 2024, spoke glowingly about Lawrence when discussing his leadership style.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrevor is his own person,\u201d Coen said. \u201cHe\u2019s very much cerebral in terms of the way he communicates with everybody. He doesn\u2019t change his stripes based on who he\u2019s interacting with, and because he is just innately such a good guy and a good person, he has the ability to pull people aside in his own way and just be honest with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that kind of hits home, I think, for a lot of players \u2013 where maybe he\u2019s not rah-rah, jumping up and down and getting guys maybe fired up \u2013 he can pull them aside and just maybe have a quick conversation that hits home. He has a great way, and he\u2019s led in terms of the operation, the cans, the alignment, the assignment, the motions. So, that right there is him leading without saying a word, just by going and doing his job at a high level. That\u2019s been pretty cool to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coen said Lawrence took a group of teammates on a bonding experience to the Bahamas this summer in order to build chemistry and camaraderie, as well as get some extra work in before training camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrevor took really all of our skill players to the Bahamas. He paid for it all and took care of it, where they went for I think a long weekend and worked out every day, got some throwing sessions in,\u201d Coen said. \u201cAnd then also hung out as guys and just got away a little bit, got together. I thought that was a great moment for him to be able to go do that with those guys and get to know them, right. Because he\u2019s had a little bit more consistency at these skill positions with [former Jaguars WR] Christian Kirk and [former Jags TE] Evan Engram being here for a while. He\u2019s got to get to know these guys on a personal level, to serve before he can go lead them, and I think he\u2019s done a nice job of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coen shared Thursday that the Jaguars plan to play Lawrence and other starters in the team\u2019s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.<\/p>\n