Trevor Lawrence And Darien Rencher: Brothers On The Field And Off

Over the past couple of years, Trevor Lawrence and Darien Rencher have become far more than just teammates, and far more than friends. They now consider themselves family, literally, which speaks volumes about the culture inside the Clemson football program

College football fans are currently going through the most turbulent offseason in the history of the sport. 

While much of the focus seems to always be geared towards the negativity going on all around us, there have been a number of feel-good stories that deserve just as much attention. 

One of those stories happens to come out of Clemson. The foundation for which Dabo Swinney's program is built is the family-like culture that he has been able to create. 

Anyone needing an example of the kind of men that culture helps cultivate, look no further than the relationship that has developed between Trevor Lawrence and Darien Rencher.  A generational, superstar quarterback and a reserve running back, who was originally a walk-on.

"We got cool, I would say, after Trevor's redshirt year," Rencher said. "He came in early, and we knew each other, obviously. I think everybody functions pretty much like 'We're all family,' but you get close with some people, and you kind of find your clique."

Not long after Lawrence arrived on campus in the winter of 2018 did the two start to become friends, and by that summer the two had become even closer. Ironically though, forces out of their control really brought the two together, and they very quickly started to realize exactly how much they had in common.

"Our girlfriends became best friends, which put us together all the time," Rencher said. "They wanted to hang out all the time so I think it just we just got to be friends.

"I would say like the summer going into his freshman year, we just kind of got cool. Like we started realizing we got some of the same aspirations and dreams, and like we believe in the same things. We've become brothers. I think God's been purposeful in bringing us together."

At no time was their bond more evident than earlier this summer. The two players were instrumental in organizing and leading a peaceful march across the Clemson campus to protest social injustices, and like Rencher, Lawrence believes the two being brought together was no coincidence.

They're two players who no longer just consider themselves friends, but brothers instead.

"Me and Darien are really completely different," Lawrence said. "From different areas, different parts of the country. Have different beliefs to a certain extent, but in the end we just clicked. Didn't really know why.

"We've been friends I guess coming on like three years now and it showed the past like six months. It's cool how God kind of works things out. Gotten really close, he's like family to me. I know for each other we've been a safe place to talk about things that we don't really feel comfortable talking to anybody else about, so that's kind of--I don't know, we're just boys."

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