Getty Kelly Bryant could potentially return to Clemson rather than transfer
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney left open the possibility of Kelly Bryant returning to Clemson rather than transferring after Trevor Lawrence sustained an injury against Syracuse. Swinney spoke with ESPN’s Holly Rowe at halftime and told her the team would welcome back Bryant if he had a change of heart.
“Heck yeah [would allow Bryant to return], I love that kid.” Swinney told ESPN.
Bryant would still need to be enrolled at Clemson in order to return to the team. ESPN reported his status with the school is unknown. The former Clemson quarterback announced earlier this week he would transfer immediately after Lawrence was named the starter.
This is one of the advantages of the way Swinney handled the situation. Rather than waiting until after Bryant played in a fifth game this season, Swinney gave him the news allowing Bryant to keep his redshirt status. Swinney has been nothing but complimentary of Bryant since he announced he would be transferring. Here’s an excerpt of Swinney’s original comments about Bryant’s transfer per Tiger Net.
Looking forward to that, and then quickly want to address the Kelly Bryant situation. I know we’ve got a lot of people probably on here that want a comment from that, and obviously saddened and disappointed that he’s chosen to leave the team, but I really have absolutely nothing bad that I can say about Kelly Bryant. He’s one of the best young people I’ve ever been around, and even though I don’t think this is a great decision, I certainly respect it, and it doesn’t change anything that I feel for Kelly. I love him, care about him. I wish him nothing but the best, and, again, sad that he has made this decision.
All I can say is another program, wherever he decides to go, is going to get a quality quarterback and a very quality young man. We appreciate everything that Kelly gave to this program while he was here. He’s a graduate, and like I said, he’s one of the best young people you could ever be around. It’s disappointing, but that’s where we are, and something he decided that he felt like was best for him, so you have to respect that.
As far as the decision, it’s just — you know, as a coach, sometimes you have to make tough decisions that are in the best interest of the team, and this is one of those decisions. And I would make it all over again because I believe that it’s what’s right for our team, and I feel like Kelly would have continued to help us win and play a lot, but it’s not what he wanted to do. I certainly could have started him this week, which would have limited his options, but that’s not how we operate here. That’s not who we are.
Kelly Bryant Called the News That Trevor Lawrence Had Been Named the Starter a “Slap in the Face”
Bryant did not appear pleased with Clemson upon his exit. The former Clemson quarterback called the news a “slap in the face.”
“They asked me how I felt about it,” Bryant told the Greenville News. “I was like, ‘I’m not discrediting Trevor. He’s doing everything asked of him, but on my side of it, I feel like I haven’t done anything to not be the starter. I’ve been here. I’ve waited my turn. I’ve done everything y’all have asked me to do, plus more.’ 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.”
There would need to be some mending between Bryant and the program for a return to work. There is also the chance Lawrence suffered a concussion that would only sideline him for minimal time. Would Bryant want to return as the starter if it was just a couple of games? There are a lot of questions left to be answered, but it appears the ball is in Bryant’s court if he wants to return.
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