To Bryant, demotion was ‘slap in the face’
Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant believes he didn’t get a fair shot to keep his job and has decided to transfer after highly touted freshman Trevor Lawrence was named the starter for the third-ranked Tigers.
Coach Dabo Swinney announced the senior’s intention to transfer Wednesday, two days after the Tigers announced Lawrence would start Saturday against Syracuse. Both teams are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Bryant had started the past 18 games for the Tigers, going 16-2. He missed the past two days of practice after what Swinney said was an emotional conversation between coach and player on Monday.
“It was a rough day,” Swinney said.
The demotion did not sit well with Bryant, who last season led Clemson to a 12-2 record as well as the Tigers’ third consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championship and their third straight berth in the College Football Playoff.
“I’ve been here. I’ve waited my turn. I’ve done everything y’all have asked me to do, plus more,’” Bryant told The Greenville News. “I’ve never been a distraction. I’ve never been in trouble with anything. To me, it was kind of a slap in the face.”
Bryant did not immediately return messages left by The
Associated Press.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Bryant, who turned 22 on Tuesday, graduated this past May and has one more year of athletic eligibility left. NCAA rules permitted him to play in four games this year without it counting against him because of a new rule
regarding redshirting, but had he taken a snap in another game, Bryant’s college career would have ended after this season.
Questions about Bryant’s performance began after he replaced former All-America quarterback Deshaun Watson began in last season’s Sugar
Bowl. After the Tigers struggled on offense in a 24-6 loss to Alabama, many outside the program started pointing to the 6-6, 216pound Lawrence as the Tigers’ next championship quarterback.
Bryant won the starting job this summer, although Lawrence has received significant playing time and been more productive in the season’s first month. Lawrence, from Cartersville, Georgia, has completed 39 of 60 passes for 600 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Bryant was 36-of-54 for 461 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, and he also ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns.
Swinney said he was “sad” and “disappointed” with Bryant’s choice, and he said the player has the right to feel the way he does. But the coach also said he believes Bryant was offered a fair opportunity
“At the end of the day, this is not middle school, Swinney said. You’ve got to make tough decisions.”
Bryant will be the fourth quarterback to leave the Tigers since the enrollment of Lawrence, the country’s top prospect at his position, last winter. Zerrick Cooper and Tucker Israel left in January. Hunter Johnson, a highly regarded prospect in the 2017 recruiting class, transferred to Northwestern after going through spring practices.
Bryant’s decision leaves the Tigers with only freshman at the position. Redshirt freshman Chase Brice is now the backup, and another freshman, Ben Batson, was moved to quarterback before the spring to build depth.
Swinney expressed gratitude for all Bryant has done in his time with the Tigers.
“Another program is going to get a quality quarterback,” Swinney said, “and a quality young man.”