Kelly Bryant told The Greenville News that he intends to transfer from Clemson after he lost the starting quarterback job this week. Bryant was replaced by Trevor Lawrence, the freshman from Cartersville High.
“They asked me how I felt about it,” Bryant told the newspaper after meeting with coach Dabo Swinney where he was informed of the decision. “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.”
Bryant, a senior, started the past 18 games for Clemson. He went 16-2 and helped the team to the College Football Playoff last season. Bryant, who has split time with Lawrence this season, missed practices Monday and Tuesday after the decision.
- Lawrence a member of AJC Super 11 team in 2017 | Video
Lawrence came off the bench to throw four touchdowns in No. 3 Clemson’s 49-21 victory at Georgia Tech. He was 13 of 18 for 176 yards.
Lawrence leads Clemson with 600 passing yards and nine touchdowns with only two interceptions. He has completed 65 percent of his passes. By comparison, Bryant has 461 passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He has completed 66.7 percent of his attempts. Bryant has also rushed for 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“We've played four games now and it’s a difficult thing, man, it's a tough day, but it’s just where we are," Swinney told reporters Tuesday. “I’ve told y’all that many times that if we saw a change, if there was a change, we’d probably all know it, and that's what happened Saturday. And Kelly didn't do anything wrong. He played well. But Trevor, after four games, productivity and just the sheer data, he deserves to run out there first this game.”
