Dabo Swinney names Kelly Bryant Clemson’s starting quarterback

Kelly Bryant will begin the post-Deshaun Watson era behind center as the quarterback for the defending champion Clemson Tigers.

Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney announced Monday that junior Kelly Bryant will take over the starting quarterback role from Deshaun Watson for the defending NCAA champions.

Watson will go down in history as one of the greatest Tigers to ever suit up, so Bryant will have big shoes to fill for the No. 5-ranked team in the country. The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist led the team to the College Football Playoff championship last season thanks to a last-second touchdown pass in the national championship game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. He was then drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Thanks to the fact that Watson was as great as he was as a Tiger, Bryant has not seen much of the playing field in his time with Clemson. In two seasons, he has attempted just 18 passes and completed 13 of them for 75 yards and one touchdown. He has also thrown one interception.

It’s tough to tell how good Bryant will be as a starting quarterback given his limited numbers in the passing category. One thing he does have for sure, however, that also made Watson as spectacular as he was is his ability to run the football effectively.

Bryant has 178 rushing yards on 35 carries and three touchdowns in his limited playing time with the Tigers, so he can get it done on the ground when he needs to. While it’s impossible to say for certain that he will be a great replacement for Watson, the fact that he is as mobile as he is will certainly minimize the loss Clemson will sustain as a result of Watson now being in the NFL.

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