Kelly Bryant to Transfer to Missouri

Hog fans hopes took a hit today, with former Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant choosing to transfer to Missouri. Bryant’s relationship with Chad Morris brought in a lot of interest and speculation for him to come to Fayetteville, but instead he opted for the Tigers over the Hogs, Auburn, Mississippi State, and North Carolina.

Morris recruited Bryant to Clemson, where he played behind Deshaun Watson before starting in 2017, and leading the Tigers to a playoff appearance. This season he was supplanted by freshman phenom Trevor Lawrence and he took advantage of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule, allowing him to still participate in four games before redshirting.

Bryant made his official visit to Fayetteville the weekend of the Tulsa game. By all reports the visit went well, but Bryant made his visit to Columbia not long after his trip to Fayetteville. It’s disappointing from Arkansas’ perspective to not have Bryant, but from his, it makes sense to make best use of his one year of eligibility remaining at a program that is on much more solid ground. That just raises his shot at being successful both in college and preparing for the pros.

Now for the Hogs their quarterback situation is likely between Ty Storey or Connor Noland, potentially KJ Jefferson as well if he really wows the staff when he steps on campus. Cole Kelley recently announced his intention to transfer, and John Steven Jones and Daulton Hyatt seem like very long shots for the job. Barring another quarterback transfer coming in, which there are no major ones with connections but things can change quickly in the offseason, those are the options the Hogs have.