How exactly do you challenge a guy, who in his first year as a starting quarterback led his team to a national championship?

That’s the task the Clemson coaches have had this spring when it comes to making sure Trevor Lawrence continues to progress as a player, quarterback and leader.

“Again, you have four senior offensive linemen up there and that is where the bulk of our leadership is going to come from, but even though he is just a sophomore we are challenging him, and he seems to be responding,” co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said.

Though he came out of high school as the top-ranked player in the country, Lawrence knew he had to earn that respect when he came to Clemson in January of 2018. He knew, especially playing on a veteran team, he had to earn it on the practice field first and then when he got his opportunities in the games.

Quietly, he gained his teammates respect while breaking every freshman passing record in Clemson history.

While leading Clemson to its second national championship in three years, Lawrence shattered all the records by throwing for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns. He threw just four interceptions in 397 attempts, while completing 65.2 percent of his passes.

At the end of the year he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, while also earning MVP honors in the Tigers’ wins over Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl and Alabama in the national championship game.

“I think leadership wise, you are starting to see him be a little bit more vocal, where last year he was just trying to lead by example through his play. Now he has the confidence to be able to speak and command (respect),” Elliott said.

But there is still work to be done and Lawrence, believe it or not, can be a better quarterback, something the coaches say they are seeing in practice this spring.

“His level of knowledge has gone to where he can pinpoint exactly what happened,” Elliott said. “Whereas before he would kind of say ‘okay I think this,’ but now before we come off (the field) he says, ‘yeah, I should have done this, and I should have done that.’

“So, you are seeing him really, really take command of the offense. I think his movement in the pocket and being able to extend plays and just his feet in the pocket, using his fundamentals to be able to get the ball out has been really, really, good.”

Clemson’s Orange & White Spring Game will be Saturday at Death Valley in Clemson. The game will be televised on ESPN2.