Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence tests positive for Covid,-19 forced to sidelines

Clemson University quarterback Trevor Lawrence has tested positive for Covid-19 and is dealing with "mild symptoms," the school announced Thursday.

Lawrence, college football's best-known player and the potential No. 1 pick in the next NFL draft, is in isolation and will miss the Tigers' game Saturday against Boston College, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

"Trevor has authorized us this evening to announce that he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now in isolation," Swinney said in a statement.

"He is doing well with mild symptoms but will not be available for this week's game against Boston College. While we certainly will miss Trevor, this is an opportunity for other guys to step up and we're excited about competing against a very good BC team on Saturday," he said.

Swinney's statement did not address Clemson's game Nov. 7 at the University of Notre Dame, a matchup that could have major postseason implications.

"I have tested positive for COVID-19, and my symptoms have been relatively mild while I'm following protocol from Clemson and the ACC," Lawrence said in a statement.

"The only thing that hurts is missing an opportunity to be with my teammates this weekend and play the game I love," he said. "I hate that I can't be there, but I'll be watching from isolation and pulling for our guys while I wait for the opportunity to rejoin the team. God bless and Go Tigers!"

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines call for 10 days of isolation from the onset of symptoms. A patient who suffers no more than mild symptoms should also be fever-free for 24 hours, without medication, before leaving isolation.

Lawrence, a junior from Cartersville, Georgia, has led the Tigers to national championship games in each of his first two seasons. The Tigers beat the University of Alabama to win it all when Lawrence was a freshman before they lost the title game to LSU early this year.

The Tigers have won all six of their games so far this season and are No. 1 in the Associated Press poll.

The coronavirus pandemic has sickened more than 9 million people in the U.S. and killed nearly 230,000.

Safety concerns have forced the lower three levels of college football to call off play this fall. The top flight of NCAA football, the Football Bowl Subdivision, has largely eliminated nonconference games to limit travel.

And most schools are playing in front of only small fractions of the numbers of fans normally allowed to fill their stadiums every fall Saturday.