Two months after leaving the Clemson football program seeking to transfer, Kelly Bryant has decided to remain a Tiger. He will not be a Clemson Tiger, but, instead, a Missouri Tiger. Bryant will trade in his orange and purple for black and gold. He will also wear number seven instead of the number two that Tiger fans are accustomed to see him wearing.
Bryant will join a Missouri team that is losing its starting quarterback, Drew Lock, to the NFL draft. The Tigers are returning two running backs that rushed for over 1,000 yards this season and adding Bryant, who rushed for 665 yards in 2017 at Clemson. This is sure to bolster the running game for Missouri, but do not be surprised if Bryant is a much improved passer. Derek Dooley, offensive coordinator, came to Missouri from the Dallas Cowboys, so he knows what an NFL quarterback should look like. Dooley helped to improve Drew Lock’s completion percentage from 57 percent to 63 percent. Kelly Bryant already has a completion percentage of 66 and any improvement would put him over or right at 70 percent.
Missouri will gets its first test next season during week two against West Virginia. This will show the country how much Bryant has improved and what the offense will look like with him at the helm. After going 8-4 this season, Missouri will have a chance to win the SEC East with a quarterback that has already taken one team to the College Football Playoff. Kelly Bryant will be relied upon to use his legs as well as his arm to win games. He also brings some underrated factors of leadership and “being there” before. Bryant is 16-2 as a starter, took a team to the College Football Playoff and also got to watch Deshaun Watson first-hand in his leadership and work-ethic.
Regardless of what some “fans” will say, Clemson fans should all be thankful for Kelly Bryant. He has always done it the right way. He worked his tail off to achieve his dream of being the quarterback for Clemson University. He took our team to the College Football Playoffs in a year that everyone labeled as a rebuild year. Without Kelly B, who knows if Clemson would have won their fourth ACC championship in a row this season because you can’t win four in a row without winning the third. Bryant went 16-2 as a starter, one of the losses came in a game he was knocked out of before halftime and the other was to Alabama in the College Football Playoffs. All Tiger fans should be grateful for Kelly Bryant. Clemson Tiger fans should be grateful for the time and dedication he gave to our football program. Missouri Tiger fans should be grateful that he chose their program and I am confident that he will raise the level of football played in Columbia, Missouri.
