While much of the focus during Clemson’s recent spring game centered around incoming freshman Trevor Lawrence, Tiger head coach Dabo Swinney isn’t ready to take the offense away from returning quarterback Kelly Bryant.
Trevor Lawrence ignited one of the largest ovations from the 50,000 fans inside Memorial Stadium this past Saturday with a long touchdown strike, going 11-for-16 for 122 yards and two scores in all.
Kelly Bryant, the returning starter under center, was 8-of-15 for 35 yards.
Despite all that, though, Swinney told reporters that Bryant remains No. 1 on the depth chart ahead of Lawrence, Hunter Johnson and Chase Brice.
“He’s still, at this point, No. 1 if we played today,” Swinney said. “But when you came into spring, that was an easy thing to say. You had to start somewhere. Guys are better than they were day one. Kelly has had a good spring, but those guys behind him have had great springs as well.”
Bryant led Clemson to another Atlantic Coast Conference title and spot in the College Football Playoff. He completed almost 66 percent of his throws for 2,8-2 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions, adding another 665 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
While Bryant had some of his biggest games at the end of the season, he also struggled in the CFP semifinal vs. Alabama, completing 18-of 36 for just 124 yards and two interceptions.
If Bryant is going to hold off Lawrence, he’ll have to look more like the signal-caller who went a combined 46-for-63 for 524 yards with three touchdowns in wins over South Carolina and Miami in the ACC championship game.
“He’s made a lot of big plays and proven that he can win at the highest level,” Swinney said of Bryant. “But last year isn’t this year. It’s a very competitive situation.”
Swinney added that Bryant looked great in other practices outside of just the scrimmage that was open to the public and media. At the same time, he gave Lawrence several points for his ability to pick up the offense in a short amount of time.
“He wasn’t overwhelmed as far as learning, was able to practice pretty quickly what we were asking him to do,” Swinney said. “That’s a hard thing. That’s a lot to know. He really was excellent, very well prepared and ready. And as we continued, he had a day or two where he bogged down a little bit, but all in all, it was an excellent spring.”
The Tigers averaged over 430 yards of total offense last year and averaged almost 31 points per game. The offense returns the likes of sophomore running back Travis Etienne, Tavien Feaster, Amari Rodgers and Tee Higgins, but there were times when things got stagnant behind Bryant.
Lawrence was a four-year starter in high school, posting a record of 54-2 and throwing for almost 14,000 yards with 161 career touchdowns. He broke several of Deshaun Watson’s high school records, giving Clemson fans a possible second-coming of the man who led them to the national title two years ago.
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Clemson is set to open the regular season against Furman before traveling to College Station to take on Texas A&M.