Kelly Bryant started the last 18 games for Clemson at the quarterback position. He was overhyped as the successor to Deshaun Watson. Some even wildly thought he could be better. Now he has been benched for Trevor Lawrence who was the number one quarterback recruit in the country. Bryant has announced his plans to transfer from the university.
“I feel like it’s what’s best for me and my future,” Bryant said in an exclusive interview with The News. “I was just going to control what I could control and try to make the most of my opportunity, but at the end of the day, I just don’t feel like I’ve gotten a fair shot.”
“To me, it was kind of a slap in the face,” Bryant said via Greenville News about his demotion.
Here’s where I will disagree Mr. Bryant. You did get a fair shot. You got to play four games. Your stat line falls short to what Trevor Lawrence has done. Let’s take a look to compare the two through four games.
Bryant: 35/53, 456 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, PFF Grade – 65
Lawrence: 39/69, 600 yards, 9 TD, 2 INT, PFF Grade – 84.4
What you should be doing, Kelly, is thanking Dabo Swinney. The new transfer rule allows the player to play four games and keep their eligibility. Good news for you Bryant, this season basically doesn’t count then. From a draft perspective, I don’t see any way that Bryant would go higher than the fourth round. Then again, Mitchell Trubisky was taken with the second pick in the draft so I guess literally anything is possible.
Clemson will ride with Lawrence the rest of the way and currently sit 2nd in the polls. Clemson doesn’t have a ton of competition in the ACC with Miami and Florida State both down.
