It looks like Clemson is going with the young gun over the returning starter as the Tigers will start true freshman Trevor Lawrence over senior Kelly Bryant.
Lawrence was a five-star recruit and the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the country while Bryant led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff last season.
From ESPN.com
A week ago, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he would make a change at quarterback when one player clearly separated himself on the field. That's exactly what happened when Trevor Lawrence looked dominant in a win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, and the school announced Monday that the freshman would be the No. 3 Tigers' new starter.
Kelly Bryant, who led Clemson to the College Football Playoff last season, has started all four games this season, but Lawrence, the No. 2 overall recruit in the nation this year according to ESPN, has been superb coming off the bench, including completing 13 of 18 passes for 176 yards and four touchdowns against the Yellow Jackets on Saturday.
"After four games, just looking at it, they've both played well, but this came down to you have to reward productivity. He's taken advantage of [opportunities]," co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said Monday. "Kelly didn't do anything wrong, but it's a situation where he's been in the game and productive, and to be fair to competition, just like we do for every position, Coach decided to name him the starter."
Elliott did say both quarterbacks will continue to get reps with the first-team offense and the starting role will continue to be a week-to-week decision, but Lawrence has earned the right to start his first game as a Tiger this week.
One wrinkle in the situation is that Bryant, a senior this season, could opt to sit the remainder of the season and take a redshirt in accordance with the NCAA's new redshirt rules. This would allow him to transfer following the season and play immediately elsewhere with one season of eligibility remaining.
If Lawrence does take over the starting quarterback duties, it would mean the top-two programs in the country have each benched a returning starter who led them to the College Football Playoff in favor of a highly-rated, young and talented quarterback – much like Ohio State fans were calling for the Buckeyes to do last year.
It's a new era of college football.
