College Football
Kelly Bryant Transfers – Where Does He Land?
In case you haven’t heard the breaking news, Clemson QB Kelly Bryant decided to transfer after learning that true freshman Trevor Lawrence would start this weekend against Syracuse. The Greenville News published an article on Wednesday revealing Kelly Bryant’s thoughts about the QB competition and his decision to transfer. Per the new NCAA redshirt guidelines, college football players can play up to four games without forfeiting a year of eligibility. Kelly Bryant meets these guidelines by not taking a snap against Syracuse, but where does he go from here?
Potential Landing Spots
Kelly Bryant finds himself in a unique position. The good news for Bryant is that he is a talented quarterback. Most teams would be happy to have his athleticism in their arsenal. Get ready, college football, because the Kelly Bryant sweepstakes are about to go full force. Here are a few potential landing spots for Bryant:
Arkansas Razorbacks
Head Coach Chad Morris is having a doozy of a first season in Arkansas. Signing up for a gig in the SEC-West is not for the fearful. Sitting at 1-3, quarterback is definitely a spot the Razorbacks need a boost in. Apparently, Morris keyed in on Bryant back in his high school before leaving for his first head coach gig at SMU and the Tigers signed him. Kelly would fit the archetype QB Morris needs to run his offense and would bring excellent leadership skills to a struggling program.
Auburn Tigers
Remember Cam Newton? The one year wonder who brought a national championship to Auburn? Kelly Bryant looks like a Cam Newton clone. Starting QB Jarrett Stidham may end up heading to the NFL, so having someone like Kelly Bryant to step in would be ideal. Malzahn worked wonders with Nick Marshall, so maybe the same could happen for Bryant.
UCLA Bruins
UCLA needs an experienced HUNH spread quarterback. Kelly Bryant fits the mould and would work with one of the best offensive minds in college football. The west coast is a far trip, but the trek could be worth it for Bryant to make one final push for the NFL. Head Coach Chip Kelly’s last starting QB before UCLA was Marcus Mariota, so it couldn’t hurt for Bryant to consider if the Bruins gave him a call.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I believe Clemson and Kelly Bryant did the right things. Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney was honest with Kelly Bryant and gave him the opportunity to transfer or continue fighting for the starting QB spot. Bryant decided to do what was best for him and find another team to go showcase his talents for one more year to get his best shot at the NFL. Hats off to Clemson for not trapping him by playing him one more snap for depth moving forward. Some may think this is not a “team” move, but at the end of the day these athletes are people and need to do what is best for them.
What do you think? Should Kelly Bryant have voiced his opinion to the media? Where will he end up?
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