Clemson could welcome back Kelly Bryant with Trevor Lawrence hurt

After losing the starting quarterback job to Trevor Lawrence, Kelly Bryant submitted a request to transfer from the Clemson Tigers football program. Following Lawrence’s injury, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney stated he is open to Bryant returning to the team.

Trevor Lawrence dazzled in his first four games with the Clemson Tigers this season, completing 63.9% of his passes with nine touchdowns, two interceptions, and an average of 9.8 yards per pass attempt. The freshman’s lights-out performances for Clemson in those four victories caused Dabo Swinney to name him the team’s starting signal-caller, making Kelly Bryant the odd man out.

Unfortunately, Lawrence suffered a scary injury during Clemson’s narrow 27-23 victory over the Syracuse Orange. Lawrence left the game in the second quarter after taking a huge shot to the head area, and he was ruled out of the game.

Chase Brice emerged as Clemson’s new quarterback with Lawrence out, because Bryant submitted a transfer request shortly after it became clear that there wasn’t a spot for him on the team following Lawrence’s emergence at QB.

Bryant averaged 8.6 yards per pass attempt and 4.8 yards per carry this season prior to being benched and requesting a transfer from the program. In 2017, he helped lead Clemson to the College Football Playoff, making up for the 8th-ranked adjusted yards per attempt average in the ACC with the conference’s best completion percentage and 24 combined rushing and passing touchdowns. Despite not being as extraordinary as Lawrence, Bryant has been a solid quarterback for the Tigers in his own right.

Although Bryant is seeking a transfer, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney informed ESPN’s Holly Rowe that he’d welcome back Bryant to the team in light of Lawrence’s injury. Swinney even made this comment during the game, as Clemson were trailing Syracuse in the second-half of a serious upset bid from the Orange.

It’s interesting to hear that Swinney is open to Bryant returning to the team, but it’s all up to Bryant. He was 16-2 as Clemson’s starter before being benched in favor of the brilliant Lawrence. Although it was no surprise to see Clemson go with the more promising Lawrence, Bryant gave plenty to the Tigers and can still give plenty to another team. Depending on the severity of Lawrence’s injury, returning could be an option for Bryant, but that ship may have sailed.

Keep an eye out for updates regarding Bryant’s thoughts on Swinney’s comments, in addition to any injury updates on Lawrence. The most important thing is Lawrence’s health, because that play was hard to watch.