Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney expressed disappointment that Kelly Bryant will transfer away from the program, but said the team's former starting quarterback was given every chance to prove himself on the field.
"You’ve got to make decisions based on what you think’s right and what your convictions are, and you keep moving forward. But there’s no question he had a very fair shot here," Swinney said of Bryant during Wednesday's teleconference, via Matt Connolly of The State.
Swinney benched Bryant in favor of highly touted freshman Trevor Lawrence on Monday. Bryant was furious with the decision and said it was a "slap in the face" that led to his decision to transfer.
The senior served as Deshaun Watson's backup during his first two years at Clemson, and then took over as the starter in 2017, completing 65.8 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions while rushing for 665 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Swinney also cited several other examples of freshmen beating out incumbent starters during his tenure at Clemson, and said he wishes Bryant nothing but the best going forward.
"Nothing changes how I feel about him. I think he’s one of the best young people I’ve ever been around," Swinney said. "It’s impossible for me to say anything bad about him and I hope nobody else does either. Just wish him well, support him, and even though we may not like his decision or whatever we’ve gotta move on. That’s just the way we are."
