How Kelly Bryant has handled countless Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson questions
Last year, Kelly Bryant was asked numerous times before and during the season how Clemson could possibly replace All-American Deshaun Watson at quarterback.
This year, it is freshman QB Trevor Lawrence who is getting all of the attention, even appearing on some Heisman odds, despite Bryant leading the Tigers to the College Football Playoff in 2017.
How has Bryant handled getting so many questions about Deshaun, Deshaun, Deshaun last year and Trevor, Trevor, Trevor this year?
“I just focus on Kelly, Kelly, Kelly. That’s it,” he said with a smile.
Bryant spoke with the media for the first time during preseason camp following Monday’s third practice of the preseason and said he is pleased with his performance thus far.
The former Wren High star has been encouraging his teammates to push through the heat and leave it all on the field as the Tigers inch closer to their season-opener against Furman on Sept. 1.
“I feel like I’ve been good, just trying to be a leader, be more vocal,” he said. “I’ve been challenging myself, getting guys to bring the energy. I know it’s hot, I know some days we don’t want to have guys out there dragging. Just want to make sure we’re getting the most out of it and just making sure that I’m challenging myself each and every day that I’m out here.”
Despite Lawrence receiving a ton of attention after outplaying Bryant during the spring game, Bryant feels good about where he is as a quarterback.
He added that his confidence never wavered, even as he was off target with some throws during the spring game.
“I feel like I was making all the decisions right, just missing on a couple of balls. That was just me (not) getting in a rhythm,” Bryant said. “I feel like I’ve got my confidence. I don’t feel like it’s gone anywhere. It’s still here. I don’t feel like anything’s changed. I’m still going to be me.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is pleased that his veteran quarterback, who threw for 2,802 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, is in a good place mentally. Still, he acknowledged there are mistakes to clean up.
“He’s very confident, and he should be,” Swinney said. “The guy’s going on his fourth year. He’s worked his butt off for three years. The kid’s won an ACC Championship and made huge plays in huge games, and he’s made big mistakes in big games. You get better. You improve. But he’s very confident. He’s a great leader. But he’s also very self-aware of what he has to do, and very aware of the competition. He accepts that challenge.”
Bryant had an up-and-down first practice last Friday, struggling with his deep throws during the portion of the practice that was open to the media, but overall, Swinney likes what he has seen from his senior quarterback.
Swinney challenged Bryant to improve in certain areas that he declined to share during the exit meetings this spring. He has seen improvement from Bryant during the first few days, he said.
“Yeah, it’s early, but he’s done what he needed to do. He’s not making a lot of mistakes. ... He’s focused on the details,” Swinney said. “He’s trying to become a better faker. He’s got a great grasp of what we’re doing. He understands the protections. He’s hit a couple of the shots. He’s put the ball down the field where he needs to to give us a chance with some of these guys.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2018 at 7:54 AM.