Kelly Bryant
{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1996)}}
{{Use American English|date = September 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Kelly Bryant
| image = File:Kelly Bryant.jpg
| caption = Bryant playing for Clemson in 2017
| currentteam =
| number =
| position = Quarterback
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|9|25}}
| birth_place = Lowndesville, South Carolina, U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 3
| weight_lb = 225
| highlights =
- XFL champion (2023)
- FCF People's Champion (2022)
- CFP national champion (2016)
| high_school = Wren
(Piedmont, South Carolina)
| college = Clemson (2015–2018)
Missouri (2019)
| undraftedyear = 2020
| pastteams =
- Toronto Argonauts ({{CFL Year|2021}})*
- Bismarck Bucks ({{IFL Year|2021}})
- Toronto Argonauts ({{CFL Year|2021}})*
- FCF Zappers (2022)
- Arlington Renegades ({{XFL Year|2023}})
| status =
| cflstatus =
| cfl = kelly-bryant/164449/
}}
Kelly Bryant (born September 25, 1996) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers after previously playing for the Clemson Tigers.
Early life
Bryant attended Wren High School in Piedmont, South Carolina. As a senior, he had 3,579 passing yards with 41 passing touchdowns, 720 rushing yards, and 14 rushing touchdowns. He committed to Clemson University to play college football under head coach Dabo Swinney.{{cite web|url=http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/college/clemson/2014/04/17/wren-quarterback-bryant-commits-tigers/7839013/|title=Wren quarterback Bryant commits to Tigers|last=Robinson|first=Manie|date=April 17, 2014|website=The Greenville News|publisher=Gannett|access-date=September 2, 2019}} During Bryant's junior year of high school, he was unable to play in the first half of a game, as he was vomiting blood in the locker room. Bryant was taken to the hospital and after an MRI, doctors found a large abscess blocking his lower intestine. Had this abscess not been found, it may have burst, leading to a life-threatening infection in his entire body. Doctors were successfully able to remove the abscess through an emergency surgery.{{Cite news|url=http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21242934/clemson-tigers-kelly-bryant-overcomes-hospitalization-high-school-become-starting-quarterback|title=Replacing Deshaun Watson is nothing compared to what Clemson QB Kelly Bryant endured|last=Schlabach|first=Mark|date=November 2, 2017|work=ESPN|access-date=November 2, 2017|author-link=Mark Schlabach}}
{{College athlete recruit start|40=no|collapse=no|year=2015}}
{{College athlete recruit entry
| recruit = Kelly Bryant
| position = QB
| hometown = Piedmont, SC
| highschool = Wren HS
| feet = 6
| inches = 4
| weight = 204
| commitdate = April 17, 2014
| scout stars =
| rivals stars = 4
| 247 stars = 3
| espn stars = 4
}}
{{College athlete recruit end
| 40 = no
| year = 2015
| rivals ref title = Clemson Football Commitments
| scout ref title =
| espn ref title = ESPN
| rivals school = clemson
| scout s =
| espn schoolid = 228
| scout overall =
| rivals overall = 11 (Dual-threat QB)
| espn overall = 10 (Dual-threat QB)
| accessdate = February 11, 2019
}}
College career
=Clemson=
Bryant spent his first two years at Clemson as a backup to Deshaun Watson.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article41679546.html|title=Freshman Kelly Bryant moving up Clemson's QB depth chart|last=Keepfer|first=Scott|date=October 28, 2015|website=The State|publisher=McClatchy|access-date=September 2, 2019}} During the two years, he completed 13 of 19 passes for 75 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also had 178 rushing yards over 35 carries with three touchdowns.{{cite web|url=http://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article168537367.html|title=Kelly Bryant named Clemson's starting QB|last=Connolly|first=Matt|date=August 21, 2017|website=The State|publisher=McClatchy|access-date=September 2, 2019}} During this time, Clemson would win both the 2015 and 2016 ACC Championships, as well as the 2017 CFP National Championship.
After Watson left for the 2017 NFL draft, Bryant was named Clemson's starting quarterback to open the 2017 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/20409783/clemson-coach-dabo-swinney-says-kelly-bryant-start-quarterback-open-season|title=Kelly Bryant will start at QB for Clemson to open season|last=Adelson|first=Andrea|date=August 21, 2017|website=ESPN|access-date=September 2, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thestate.com/sports/college/acc/clemson-university/article168755592.html|title=Bryant won't get complacent after winning starting QB job|last=Connolly|first=Matt|date=August 22, 2017|website=The State|publisher=McClatchy|access-date=September 2, 2019}} Bryant led the Tigers to the 2017 ACC Championship, and a spot in the 2017 College Football Playoff, losing to eventual national champion Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. The 2017 Clemson Tigers finished the season with a record of 12–2.
On September 25, 2018, after week 4 of the 2018 season, coach Dabo Swinney announced that freshman Trevor Lawrence would be the new starting quarterback for the Tigers.{{Cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/clemson-makes-change-names-trevor-lawrence-starting-quarterback-151754014.html|title=Clemson makes change, names Trevor Lawrence starting quarterback|last=Cooper|first=Sam|date=September 24, 2018|website=Yahoo Sports|publisher=Verizon Media|access-date=September 16, 2019}} As a result, Bryant decided to transfer. He maintained his final year of eligibility, despite starting 4 games of his senior year, due to a recent change in NCAA redshirt guidelines.{{cite web|url=https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/sports/college/clemson/2018/09/26/clemson-football-kelly-bryant-transfer/1427832002|title=In exclusive interview, Clemson football QB Kelly Bryant says he will transfer|last=Robinson|first=Manie|date=September 26, 2018|website=The Greenville News|publisher=Gannett|access-date=September 2, 2019}} The Tigers would go on to win the 2019 CFP Championship. Due to Bryant's decision to leave the team early in the season, Swinney chose not to give Bryant a championship ring.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/clemson-coach-dabo-swinney-has-a-simple-answer-for-not-giving-kelly-bryant-a-national-championship-ring/|title=Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has a simple answer for not giving Kelly Bryant a national championship ring|last=Fonrelli|first=Tom|date=August 8, 2019|website=CBS Sports|language=en|access-date=September 3, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ben-frederickson/benfred-everything-you-don-t-need-to-know-about-the/article_66da069c-ca18-55f9-94a4-25859c26f90e.html|title=BenFred: Everything you (don't) need to know about the Dabo Swinney-Kelly Bryant ring debate|last=Frederickson|first=Ben|date=August 9, 2019|website=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|publisher=Lee Enterprises|language=en|access-date=September 3, 2019}}
=Missouri=
On December 5, 2018, Bryant announced that he would transfer to Missouri.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25454611/kelly-bryant-ex-clemson-starter-transferring-missouri|title=Ex-Clemson QB Kelly Bryant says he's transferring to Missouri|last=Hale|first=David M.|date=December 5, 2018|work=ESPN|access-date=February 11, 2019}} The following year he became a quarterback for the 2019 Missouri Tigers.{{Cite web|url=https://www.freep.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2019/08/30/missouri-debuts-new-qb-bryant-on-road-against-wyoming/40048515/|title=Missouri debuts new QB Bryant on road against Wyoming|last=Associated Press|author-link=Associated Press|date=August 30, 2019|website=Detroit Free Press|publisher=Gannett|language=en|access-date=September 2, 2019}} In the Tigers' first game of the 2019 season, a 37–31 loss at Wyoming, Bryant threw a career-high 423 yards.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-missouri/article234602007.html|title=Inside Kelly Bryant's first start for Missouri ... a game that ended with a loss|last=Schiffer|first=Alex|date=August 31, 2019|website=Kansas City Star|publisher=McClatchy|access-date=September 2, 2019}}
=Statistics=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||||||||||||||
| rowspan="2"| Season
! colspan="3"| Games ! colspan="8"| Passing ! colspan="4"| Rushing | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | INT | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| colspan="16" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Clemson Tigers}}"| Clemson Tigers | |||||||||||||||
| 2015
| 8 || 0 || — || 7 || 9 || 77.8 || 27 || 3.0 || 0 || 1 || 80.8 || 23 || 156 || 6.8 || 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 2016
| 4 || 0 || — || 6 || 9 || 66.7 || 48 || 5.3 || 1 || 0 || 148.1 || 12 || 22 || 1.8 || 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 2017
| 14 || 14 || 12–2 || 262 || 398 || 65.8 || 2,802 || 7.0 || 13 || 8 || 131.7 || 192 || 665 || 3.5 || 11 | |||||||||||||||
| 2018
| 4 || 4 || 4–0 || 36 || 54 || 66.7 || 461 || 8.5 || 2 || 1 || 146.9 || 33 || 130 || 4.3 || 2 | |||||||||||||||
| colspan="16" style="{{CollegePrimaryStyle|Missouri Tigers|color=white}}" | Missouri Tigers | |||||||||||||||
| 2019
| 10 || 10 || 5–5 || 181 || 292 || 62.0 || 2,215 || 7.6 || 15 || 6 || 138.5 || 106 || 242 || 2.3 || 1 | |||||||||||||||
| [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/kelly-bryant-1.html Career] | 40 | 28 | 21–7 | 492 | 762 | 62.0 | 5,553 | 7.3 | 31 | 16 | 135.0 | 363 | 1,215 | 3.3 | 17 |
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 6
| height in = 3 1/8
| weight = 229
| dash = 4.69
| ten split = 1.59
| twenty split = 2.73
| shuttle = 4.51
| cone drill = 7.33
| vertical = 35.0
| broad ft = 10
| broad in = 5
| arm span = 32 1/4
| hand span = 9 1/2
| note = All values from NFL Combine{{Cite web |last=Zierlein |first=Lance |title=Kelly Bryant Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/kelly-bryant/32004252-5948-5914-4f51-0e231b2706b2 |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=NFL.com}}{{Cite web |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1002773&DraftYear=2020 |title=2020 NFL Draft Scout Kelly Bryant College Football Profile |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=DraftScout.com}}
}}
= Toronto Argonauts =
After going undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft, Bryant had a tryout with the Arizona Cardinals on August 14, 2020.{{cite tweet |user=AlbertBreer |title=Today’s tryouts and visits ... |number=1294379724446347267 |date=August 14, 2020 |access-date=August 21, 2020}} On February 9, 2021, it was announced that Bryant had signed with the Toronto Argonauts, where his cousin, Martavis Bryant, had signed two weeks earlier.{{cite web|url=https://www.argonauts.ca/2021/02/09/argos-add-signal-caller-kelly-bryant/ |title=Argos add Signal-Caller Kelly Bryant |publisher=Toronto Argonauts |date=February 9, 2021}} Bryant was released on June 18, 2021.{{cite tweet |user=ArgonautsMR |author=Toronto Argonauts Media Relations |title=The Argos also announce today the release of the following players: American WR Jawill Davis, American QB Kelly Bryant and American DB Ermon Lane. |number=1405971726920564740 |date=June 18, 2021 |access-date=June 21, 2021}} Bryant re-signed with Toronto on July 22 and assigned to practice roster. He was cut again on August 22.{{cite news |title=Argos sign ex-Clemson star Bryant |url=https://www.tsn.ca/toronto-argonauts-kelly-bryant-clemson-1.1671581 |website=TSN.ca |date=July 22, 2021 |access-date=July 24, 2021}}
= Bismarck Bucks =
In the one month interim between Argonauts stints, Bryant played two games for the Bismarck Bucks of the Indoor Football League (IFL), where he completed four out of five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown, and 11 rushes for 87 yards.{{cite web | url=https://www.bismarckbucks.com/sports/football/stats/2021/massachusetts-pirates/boxscore/14 | title=Football vs Massachusetts Pirates on 7/10/2021 - Box Score }}{{cite web | url=https://www.bismarckbucks.com/sports/football/stats/2021/frisco-fighters/boxscore/7 | title=Football vs Frisco Fighters on 7/16/2021 - Box Score }}
= FCF Zappers =
On March 30, 2022, Bryant signed with the Zappers of Fan Controlled Football. On his debut the following day on April 1, Bryant threw for 130 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions, whilst also rushing for an extra two touchdowns on 47 yards. Overall, he threw for 234 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions for the season with a 55% completion rating. Bryant won the FCF People's Championship later that season and was named the game's MVP.{{Cite web |title=Fan Controlled Football is where FANS call the shots |url=https://www.fcf.io/ |access-date=May 1, 2022 |website=FCF |language=en}}
= Arlington Renegades =
Bryant signed with the Arlington Renegades of the XFL on April 3, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Crumpton |first=Tony |date=April 3, 2023 |title=Former Clemson quarterback signs with XFL |url=https://www.tigernet.com/clemson-football/news/former-clemson-quarterback-kelly-bryant-signs-with-xfl-42046 |access-date=April 4, 2023 |website=TigerNet.com |language=en-us}} Bryant played in one regular season game, recording one rushing attempt for 24 yards, and had five more rushes for 20 yards in the Renegades two playoff wins to claim the 2023 XFL championship. He was not part of the roster after the 2024 UFL dispersal draft on January 15, 2024.{{Cite web |title=2024 UFL Team Rosters |url=https://www.theufl.com/rosters |website=TheUFL.com |access-date=January 20, 2024 |archive-date=January 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240122174035/http://www.theufl.com/rosters |url-status=dead }}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.argonauts.ca/players/kelly-bryant/164449/ Toronto Argonauts bio]
- [https://mutigers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7333 Missouri Tigers bio]
- [http://www.clemsontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209875904 Clemson Tigers bio]
{{Clemson Tigers quarterback navbox}}
{{Missouri Tigers quarterback navbox}}
{{2016 Clemson Tigers football navbox}}
{{2023 Arlington Renegades}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Kelly}}
Category:American football quarterbacks
Category:Clemson Tigers football players
Category:Missouri Tigers football players
Category:People from Calhoun Falls, South Carolina
Category:Players of American football from South Carolina
Category:Toronto Argonauts players
Category:Bismarck Bucks players
Category:Arlington Renegades players
Category:Fan Controlled Football players