Any more suggestions? Why Kelly Bryant’s confidence has grown as Clemson’s QB

Kelly Bryant turned his chair around backwards before smiling and sitting down to begin his weekly media availability on Monday.

“It’s just a little switch up,” Bryant joked. “I’m getting a little bit more comfortable.”

Clemson’s junior quarterback has gotten much more comfortable, on and off the field, as the season has progressed. That’s a big reason why the top-ranked Tigers are in position to earn a third consecutive ACC title and College Football Playoff berth.

The consensus entering the season was that Clemson had everything it needed to compete for a national title with the exception of a proficient quarterback.

“Nobody had more pressure on him than Kelly Bryant. For the most part, everybody already had him moving positions. He wasn’t going to play quarterback. He was going to be a wideout. He was going to be a safety. He was going to be a running back,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. “We were just wondering what position he was going to play. He didn’t quite get that memo. And so it’s just great to see young people prepare and develop.”

Bryant earned the starting quarterback job with his play in preseason camp and solidified his role as the starter with his performance early in the year.

He completed 65.5 percent of his passes, accounted for 240 total yards and had two touchdowns with no interceptions in Clemson’s 14-6 win against Auburn in the second game of the season.

Auburn has been proven to have one of the best defenses in the nation and will face Georgia this weekend in the SEC championship.

“That was a big-time matchup with two great defenses,” co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott said. “I think, for Kelly, his performance against Auburn was probably that moment where we knew, ‘OK, he’s going to be able to do it.’ ”

Bryant has had rough stretches, particularly in the passing game, but he also has led Clemson to road wins against four teams that were ranked at the time.

Clemson scored 47 points at Louisville, 31 at Virginia Tech, 38 at N.C. State and 34 at South Carolina.

Bryant has learned to deal with the attention that comes with being the starting quarterback for the top team in the country.

He’s always been outgoing and talkative, now he just has more people approaching him for pictures or an autograph.

“People have been pretty good saying ‘hello’ and ‘great game’ and stuff like that, ” Bryant said. “It’s been pretty neat, a good energy.”

Clemson has won every game Bryant has started and finished, including last week’s blowout victory against USC.

Bryant has nine total touchdowns and two interceptions in the four road games he has started and finished.

“One of his best traits that he has is he has that same confidence and same demeanor no matter if you’re down two touchdowns or if you’re up two touchdowns,” Scott said. “He plays very consistent, and that’s really one of the top qualities that you look for in a quarterback.”

Bryant had 270 passing yards and two touchdowns in three quarters against South Carolina and passed for 230 yards and three scores in the first half against The Citadel.

The former Wren star believes he is playing his best football at the perfect time entering Saturday’s game against Miami.

“I feel like I answered some of the questions going in. Not many people would have predicted that we would be in the situation we’re in now,” Bryant said. “I’m just doing my job and everything the coaches ask me to do..”

This story was originally published November 30, 2017 at 5:46 PM.