When spring practice begins in the next month, Kelly Bryant will be the first quarterback to take snaps with the rest of the first-team offense.

“He has earned that,” Clemson quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter said recently to The Clemson Insider. “He has gotten better every day he has been here. He will have the opportunity to go out there first with that first group. But it is going to be a competition the whole spring.”

Bryant will be in competition with Zerrick Cooper, Tucker Israel and freshman Hunter Johnson, who enrolled at Clemson earlier this month and will participate in spring drills. They are all vying for the opportunity to become the Tigers’ new starting quarterback after All-American, and two-time Heisman Finalist, Deshaun Watson decided to forgo his senior year and turn pro.

“It is a great opportunity for our guys,” Streeter said. “They don’t have a lot of experience. It’s going to be a wide open battle. The first day of spring ball, Kelly Bryant is going to be the guy.

“We are not saying he is going to be the starter in the fall, but he is going to be the first guy that goes out there with the first group on Day One of spring ball. We are going to get a lot of reps out of Zerrick Cooper, Tucker Israel and (Hunter Johnson) is going to get a lot of reps, too.”

Whoever comes out of the competition as the starter, knows they have some big shoes to fill. Though he played just three seasons, Watson leaves Clemson second all-time in total yards and passing yards. He is second in touchdown passes thrown and in total touchdowns as well.

Watson also holds many passing game, season and career records in Clemson history, and most importantly, he just led the program to its second national championship earlier this month.

“They are all going to have an opportunity,” Streeter said. “They may not all get an equal amount of reps, but they are all going to have enough of an opportunity to prove to us who can be the face of our program and who can be the starter for our program.”

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