On first take, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence has officially announced he will be entering the 2021 NFL draft.

He made the announcement in a video today posted to Twitter, simply tweeting.

Thank you, Clemson.

And then the video was him walking around on the field at Memorial Stadium.

So coming off of that news, we now welcome into the mouth of the South.

Paul Finebaum, Paul.

I want to know your reaction to this news that he's entering the draft.

It's the least surprising thing that I've heard in 2021 2020 and pretty much any other year.

He was always going to go.

I think it depended on whether he would go to the Jets if that indeed turned out to be his destination, which which is not going to be the case.

But he's had a remarkable career, and I quite frankly think he may not ever get enough credit because he did not win the Heisman Trophy.

He won one national championship his first year and last year lost to Joe Burrow in this year, obviously didn't make it to the final game, but he's one of the most remarkable players I have ever seen.

I think he will have a sensational pro career.

But, uh, he he brought such, uh, I thought class to college football, such dignity.

And, you know, one of those guys that we will remember back many, many years from now, when he ascends into greatness in the NFL and go, why didn't he win the Heisman Trophy on?

I'm sure Peyton Manning will second that notion.

Paul, You know, when I think about valued quarterbacks out of college, the it seems to be Trevor Lawrence comes in with as much hype among the people who seem to know as anyone since Andrew Luck.

And while Andrew Luck had an excellent career, I really like Andrew.

Luck is a very good quarterback.

It's not like the career performance quite matched the hype, right?

He retired early, and he was never the best quarterback in the league.

There were times where he looked like maybe a top five kind of guy.

What do you expect when you say a sensational career?

What do you expect from Trevor Lawrence?

I don't know why I can't get Peyton Manning out of my head, Max But the reason I say that is, uh, I've seen him play many, many times on television.

But two years ago, standing on the sidelines out at Santa Clare, seeing him up close for the first time, I was just I just I saw that big guy out there, 6566 and he looked like Peyton Manning just towering over the field and he was playing Alabama.

It wasn't like he was playing Wake Forest on.

He just he shredded them that night.

It was one of the most embarrassing losses of Nick Saban's career, and and and I just have seen him.

Even though he's been great in college, don't misunderstand the point to me.

He just is the prototypical pro quarterback.

And, yeah, you know, you know, I would like to know what more he'll have around him in Jacksonville, but that's just my gut feeling.

And that's all you can dio.

It's easy to miss on college quarterbacks coming out, but I really do think Trevor Lawrence is as can't miss a quarterback as we have seen in a number of years, many, perhaps many years.

While the national championship game Alabama Ohio State scheduled still to take place on Monday, despite there being some covert issues within the Buckeyes program, they do have a backup date in mind.

That would be January 18th, but what would it take for them to actually postponed that game?

I don't think it's going to be postponed for this reason.

I think there is such a will Bye bye, really, both sides.

And I think the the off the field chatter about Ohio State wanting to postpone because Justin Fields is heard, it is a little bit overblown.

There are legitimate concerns on the Ohio state side.

Uh, they haven't told us, but many sources have confirmed that they have a couple of defensive players with covert issues.

And I think ultimately it just depends on what the contact tracing looks like.

And we don't know yet.

I mean, it would have to be pervasive, but certainly I think everyone in college football once this game to go off Monday night because the real danger I mean, I don't wanna go other than the pandemic.

But if this game does not get played Monday night, the importance of it really begins to shrink for the obvious reason the NFL playoffs.

Just suck all the oxygen out of the sports coverage, and I think it would be hard to regenerate that, Ah, week from Monday night.

It's a It's a challenge for college football, anyway, playing on the Monday night following the wild card weekend, especially with an additional game on Saturday and Sunday.

But I think I think it's really up.

Thio Ohio State would just imp simply have to say, We don't We don't have enough players, we can't do it.

I know the other side Alabama, and wants to get this game in their relatively healthy they have.

They have Waddle coming back with another week matter, but they don't care about that.

They just want to see the game being played, and I think everyone does.

Justin Fields had an amazing performance against Clemson.

He did take a big hit, though that did require an injection.

So Field was asked about his injury after the game.

And here's what he had to say about that, he said.

They didn't really tell me anything.

I took like a shot or two in the medical tent and ran back out there.

But I mean it's pretty much my whole right torso that's messed up and a little bit of my hips.

So what do you think about this quote from Fields?

Well, I think I think the obvious.

Uh, what he's trying to say is, Yeah, I got hurt, but but I'm fine.

But when you get when you get shot up to stay in the game that that's not I mean, it's not.

It's not unheard of.

It's fairly commonplace.

But it does indicate a bigger problem.

And I think as we get closer to Monday night, all eyes are going to be on Justin Fields.

What is his health?

Because he played not only a great game against Clemson, he played the game of his life.

And you have to do that to beat Alabama, Not because their defense is so great.

It's not.

It's by Alabama standards.

It's a it's a better than average defense.

But their offense is all world.

If you watch the Heisman last night on Lee, three of the top five players in the voting are on that Alabama offense.

They had.

They had a bad game against Notre Dame and only scored 31 points.

I mean, they averaged 49 points a game, and if they score in the forties, it really doesn't matter.

Justin Fields in Ohio State probably would not be able to keep up.

So if he is, if he is less than perfect in that game, the Buckeyes are going to be challenged to stay on the same field.

That I don't mean that as a blowout.

But just you know me, you know, you know, score for score.

That's what you have to do with Alabama.

So I think it's the story of the game.

It's hard for me to believe that he will be 100%.

I don't think anyone in Buck Island is really telling us anything, because it doesn't serve much purpose to say the guys banged up.

He has bruised ribs.

He has whatever.

But it's pretty obvious he does.