Clemson Football: Kelly Bryant has his swagger back

Clemson football quarterback Kelly Bryant had seemingly lost his confidence, but it seems he has his swagger back heading into the ACC Championship game.

Clemson football quarterback Kelly Bryant had seemingly lost his confidence midway through the season.

After injuring his ankle against Wake Forest, it looked as if the junior gunslinger had regressed as a passer.

For the next few weeks against teams like Georgia Tech, NC State, and Florida State, he was inaccurate on the deep ball and seemed to have trouble hitting the open man.

I can remember distinctly in each of those games, especially against NC State and FSU, where Bryant jogged off the field clearly down after yet another three-and-out.

He had lost his swagger.

To get the obvious out of the way, Kelly Bryant is no Deshaun Watson.

He does not have the arm strength or accuracy of Watson. He also doesn’t have the vision of Deshaun, but I’ve seen him hit passes. It’s unfair for Clemson football fans to compare him with Watson, who was a once-in-a-lifetime talent. At least until Trevor Lawrence arrives on campus.

Bryant has put the ball on the money in several key situations.

Has he made some mistakes? Absolutely. But earlier in the season, he was hitting Deon Cain on the back-shoulder fades and was doing a good job getting the ball out to the open receiver.

That all seemed to stop after his ankle injury, at least for a little while.

Against The Citadel, the Clemson football coaches forced Kelly Bryant to sit back in the pocket and make the throws. He finished the day with 230 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Must Read: Clemson vs. South Carolina was trending on Twitter

The very next week against the South Carolina Gamecocks, he put up impressive numbers going for 272 yards and two touchdowns to just one interception. Obviously, one of those touchdown passes was all because of Hunter Renfrow, but still he was able to make the right reads and hit receivers with accuracy on the road in a very hostile environment.

Why?

His confidence was back.

That swagger manifested itself on Monday as well when Kelly Bryant was asked about Clemson being ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll.

"“It’s about time” Bryant replied."

That kind of confidence and swagger is what will lead Clemson to an ACC Championship and a National Title. The Tigers can’t win without it.

As a matter of fact, what Clemson may need most is for Kelly Bryant to be himself and stay strong mentally. Is he Deshaun Watson? No.

But he doesn’t need to be.

If Kelly Bryant can remain confident and poised the rest of this season, I think the Tigers have as good a chance as anyone at winning it all in January. It is good to see the young man playing with some confidence again.

Next: Several schools reportedly interested in Brent Venables

Part of this may be due to the fact that his ankle is finally healthy. A lot of it may be mental, as well. Whatever the case is, Clemson just needs Kelly Bryant to be Kelly Bryant. In order for him to be himself, he has to be confident.

Luckily for Tiger fans, it seems he has gotten that part of his game back just in time.