Former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant will transfer to Missouri, he announced on Tuesday via Twitter. The senior signal-caller chose the Tigers over Auburn, Arkansas, North Carolina, Miami and others. As a graduate transfer, he will be eligible to play in 2019.
Bryant earned the nod as the opening-day starter for Clemson this season, and threw for 205 yards and and a touchdown on just 17 attempts, while rushing for 54 yards and another score in a 28-26 win at Texas A&M in Week 2. But Bryant lost his job to true freshman and former five-star prospect Trevor Lawrence after the Tigers' Week 4 game at Georgia Tech, then decided to transfer and take a redshirt rather than finishing off his eligibility as Lawrence's backup.
The 2017 season was his first as Clemson's starting quarterback, and he picked up right where his predecessor Deshaun Watson left off. Under Bryant's leadership and success on the field, the Tigers finished the regular season 11-1, won the ACC championship and earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl national semifinal against Alabama. Bryant threw for just 124 yards and tossed two interceptions in the 24-6 loss to the Crimson Tide, and averaged just 3.4 yards per attempt.
Bryant finished last season 262-of-389 (65.8 percent) for 2,802 yards, 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He added 665 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
Assuming he wins the starting job, Bryant will be stepping in for quarterback Drew Lock -- who is one of the top prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. Lock threw for 3,125 yards and 25 touchdowns this season, one year after setting the SEC single-season touchdown record with 44. Bryant intends to play quarterback at the next level, and Missouri's system that emphasizes every aspect of the passing game will help him when he goes through the draft process next winter.
