Clemson Names Kelly Bryant Starting Quarterback Against Kent State

With the end of fall camp this week, Coach Dabo Swinney named Kelly Bryant the starting QB for Clemson’s opener against Kent State. Swinney spoke to the media and announced the decision.

From all of the reports that have come out of Clemson, Bryant was won the job. Yes, the coaches had a lot of praise for Bryant over the last several weeks, but so did impartial observers. Several outlets, including STS, had insiders say that Bryant looked the best at playing the position right now.

Remember that this is about the whole package. It isn’t just about accuracy, ability to run the ball, or how strong of an arm the QB as. The coaches are looking for the most complete package and right now they believe that Bryant is the best option.

That said, there are a lot of questions about Bryant. His passing, especially his deep ball, is questionable from limited evidence. Without that deep ball threat Clemson fans will see a lot of looks similar to 2014 when Cole Stoudt wasn’t able to challenge opposing teams deep.

Dabo also said that Zerrick Cooper is first off the bench with Hunter Johnson right behind. That bit is interesting since all of us assumed Johnson would be the backup. But it is early in the season.

It will also be interesting to see how Hunter Johnson and Zerrick Cooper look against Kent State. Both players were not quite as far along as they needed to be to really challenge Bryant, but Kent State should provide a good opportunity to show just how good they are. And if Kelly Bryant struggles against Kent State, or against Auburn the next week, don’t be surprised to see Bryant benched in favor of someone else.