Kelly Bryant Feeling "Really Good" After Week Off

Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant met with the media today for the first time since injuring his ankle against Wake Forest on October 7th.

He entered the room with a smile that everyone has gotten so accustomed to seeing so far this season. 

“Y’all miss me? I missed y’all,” Bryant exclaimed as he sat down. 

He rocked hiking boots instead of a walking boot on the rainy Monday afternoon, which was fitting for the quarterback who is continuing the trek to get back to 100 percent.

The first thing Bryant said was something Clemson fans had been waiting to hear since he laid motionless on the turf over a week ago:

“I’m feeling really good.”

That sound you just heard was a collective exhale from Clemson fans everywhere. 

Bryant then got into what he said was the hardest hit he had taken throughout his career so far.

“I hit my head really bad,” Bryant said. “It was unfortunate, just pretty much got my head hit on the turf. I was knocked out for a little second and then regained consciousness right afterwards.”

While the injury was a serious one, he seemed to be in good spirits looking back at the play that knocked him out cold before halftime.

“I was watching clips of it, just me laying there like, ‘Dang, I was getting some good sleep.’ I was wondering if that was the best sleep that I’ve gotten. It was scary, but just something to be aware of going forward.”

Bryant’s head is all good and has been cleared to play. The plan is for him to start this Saturday against Georgia Tech.

Another collective exhale.

On the other hand, his ankle is still not where he wants it to be, and that’s the highest concern for Clemson’s offense. 

Bryant said Monday that he felt good going into the Syracuse game, but tweaked the ankle early in the first quarter on a play-action scramble. It was a play where he usually would maneuver to gain positive yardage, but this time he barely made it back to the line of scrimmage.

The ability for Bryant to use his legs is what makes Clemson’s offense so dynamic. Making Bryant one-dimensional can make Clemson’s offense one-dimensional and immobile. 

“I feel like I can make plays with my legs, that opens up plays that I can make with my arm as well. When I tweaked it, I felt like I became one dimensional. That’s a part of my game I had to adjust to during the game. It was just a learning experience for me.”

As Bryant learns from his experience of dealing with the injury, he said that this wouldn’t keep him from being a confident runner on Saturdays moving forward.

“I don’t see a need for me not to be confident,” Bryant said. “It’s an injury, but that happens. That’s part of the game. Whenever I try to play timid and play not loose, that’s where the second guessing and not playing and reacting, that’s where all that comes in.”

Bryant looked anxious to get back onto the field this week after missing some practice over the bye week to nurse his injuries.

The quarterback is ready to “cut it loose” and not let his injuries get in the way of his performance mentally or physically.

“If you do that it can throw your game off a lot.”