By Will Vandervort.

There is only one thing Kelly Bryant was not expecting when he enrolled at Clemson last month.

“The only thing that he says is giving him a difficult time is walking all of those hills over there. I think that has been the only challenge he has had to get used to,” Bryant’s high school coach Jeff Tate said.

That’s the only challenge right now. The real test for the former Wren High School standout will begin on March 2 when he and fellow freshman quarterback Tucker Israel start competing with Nick Schuessler to be the Tigers’ second-team quarterback.

Bryant and Israel are part of recruiting class at Clemson that is considered to be the program’s best and deepest since the internet era began. Head coach Dabo Swinney and recruiting coordinator Jeff Scott are expecting to sign a class Wednesday that some believe to be a top three group across the board.

Bryant is one reason. He is a four-star prospect who comes to Clemson rated as the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback in the country and the No. 4 overall player in South Carolina. He led Wren to an 11-1 record and a Western AAA title this past fall, while throwing for 3,570 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. He also rushed for 720 yards and 14 scores.

With starting quarterback Deshaun Watson watching from the sidelines Bryant will have an opportunity to learn Clemson’s complicated offense and the tempo in which it has to be run. Along with Israel and Schuessler, he will be given more first- and second-team reps than he might have acquired if Watson was not nursing his left knee back to health.

“Hopefully, he will get a chance on the football field because ultimately that is the reason he decided to go there was to have a chance to play football,” Tate said. “Hopefully, it will turn into something positive for him getting in there a semester early.”

It should give Bryant an idea of where he is athletically, too. By enrolling early and playing this spring, Bryant has the luxury to adjust to the speed of the game, while also learning the offense without feeling rushed.

If he would have waited until July to come to Clemson with the rest of his freshman class then he would have just a few weeks to get it all down.

“That for sure would make him have to redshirt, but with the situation they are in with Deshaun coming off surgery, there is an opportunity for him and he is excited about it,” Tate said. “But he also understands he is not the only one there on campus and that there are other folks who will be competing as well.”

So far, other than getting used to walking the hills, Bryant has adjusted quite nicely to being at Clemson. With Clemson’s nationally renowned strength and conditioning program he has already gained eight pounds, and as Tate says, “he is filling in and is a little stronger.”

Bryant came to Clemson at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds.

“Kelly is one of these guys that he is so driven that he has a plan. He knows there is work that has to be put in place and he likes to work. He is not afraid to compete. It is just one of those opportunities for him,” Tate said. “He looks forward to the challenge. He is a competitor and he knows that he has work to put in and I know he would like to contribute. It doesn’t matter where you are in college, first year or fifth year, you want to have an opportunity to get on the field and play and compete.

“He knows he has to put a lot of work into it and it is not going to happen in a matter of a few days. It is a great opportunity and situation to be in because he is going to have a chance to get a lot of reps this spring. He will probably pick it up a little better than he would have coming into the fall.”

It also gives Bryant an opportunity to work more with new quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter. The former Clemson quarterback replaced Chad Morris on Swinney’s staff after he left Tigertown to be the new head coach at SMU.

“He is excited to work with him and Brandon has told me the same thing,” Tate said. “He can give him the insight of what it is like playing quarterback at Clemson. He knows what it is like to play in a big game.

“Kelly has already found out that he is going to be a great teacher and instructor for him, while giving him the insight on how to play the position even more so than he has already learned.”