How Kelly Bryant has helped Trevor Lawrence make a smooth transition to Clemson
Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott arrived home following Saturday’s win against Furman and started going through pictures from the blowout victory.
Scott was searching for examples of good and bad ball security by his receivers, but it was a picture of quarterbacks Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence that caught his eye.
“One of the pictures I loved was Kelly congratulating Trevor as he came off the field. First one over there,” Scott said. “That’s what we get to see every day on the practice field and in the meeting rooms. Those guys are Clemson teammates. That’s part of the culture coach (Dabo) Swinney has done a good job of creating here.”
Yes, Bryant and Lawrence are competing for playing time, but the longer Lawrence has been on campus the closer the two have become.
Lawrence admitted that he was not close with Bryant when he first arrived in January, but their relationship has evolved over the past several months.
“I think anytime a new guy comes in there’s that stage, just getting to know everyone and kind of feel it out,” Lawrence said Monday. “I wouldn’t say awkwardness but, yeah, we weren’t as close as we are now just because we didn’t know each other really. We’ve gotten to know each other really over the past few months.”
Bryant made it his mission to help Lawrence feel comfortable shortly after the five-star phenom arrived on campus.
He has helped Lawrence come out of his shell and show more personality, and when Lawrence threw his first career touchdown pass Saturday afternoon against Furman, Bryant made sure he was one of the first people to congratulate him.
The touchdown pass was a 6-yard strike to Diondre Overton and came in the second quarter after Lawrence replaced Bryant.
“It was a good read by him, good play by Diondre,” Bryant said. “I remember throwing my first touchdown pass and Deshaun (Watson) being one of the first guys congratulating me. Just being that big brother in the quarterback room and also being a leader as well.”
Lawrence added that it would be a difficult situation if the senior starter wasn’t so supportive.
“It’d definitely be a big stress if the guy in front of me was not taking it well and not wanting to help me out,” Lawrence said. “That would definitely make it a lot harder, and he’s done a great job of helping me out and really being there for me. It really shows his character. It’s been good.”
Lawrence will continue to lean on Bryant this week as the Tigers prepare for their first true test of the season at Texas A&M.
Lawrence knows that playing in front of more than 100,000 fans at Texas A&M will provide a much bigger challenge than playing at home against Furman.
“I can ask (Kelly) how games like this go as far as playing away in a big stadium with a hostile crowd,” Lawrence said. “He’s been there, and he’s played in it before. Then guys on the team will tell you about it and tell you how to maneuver around and just stuff to be ready for.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2018 at 6:23 PM.