Kelly says Clemson good place to win Heisman

Last season, Kelly completed 137-of-249 passes for 2,159 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Apr 25 22:40:22 GMT-04:00 2011

Clemson and Florida St. have developed a heated rivalry on the football field, and now may be going head-to-head for the one of the nation’s top quarterback recruits.

Buffalo (NY) St. Joseph's quarterback Chad Kelly Chad Kelly
Quarterback
6-3, 205
Buffalo, NY
View Full Profile currently boasts 12 offers, and he expects that two more offers could come this week if Duke and Miami (FL) offer, as he expects them to.

Miami is the offer that Kelly has been waiting on, because it is the school where his uncle, former NFL star Jim Kelly, played in the 1980’s. However, after visits to several schools over the past few weeks, two schools current stand out to the 6-3, 205-pounder.

“All of the visits went really well, and they all had their ups and downs at certain ones,” Kelly told TigerNet Monday afternoon. “I am taking a few more this week, to Purdue and to Michigan St., and then we might try and get a few more visits in. After that, then we should know who the top five are. But right now, it’s easy to say that Clemson and Florida St. are on top.”

As a junior, Kelly ran 86 times for 1,057 yards and 15 touchdowns. He completed 137-of-249 passes for 2,159 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and he says that Clemson’s offense is one of the main reasons the Tigers are on top.

“I definitely love the way the offense is ran,” he said. “It matches my abilities perfectly. If I wanted to win the Heisman Trophy, that would be the school to go to. I also like the family atmosphere they have at Clemson. When my uncle and dad went down there, they thought it would be a great fit for me.”

The Seminoles are also attractive to Kelly.

“If you want to be in the NFL, that is the offense to go to,” he said. “You have to call the protections up front, and they do a lot of things to get their quarterbacks ready for the NFL. The stadium is cool, and they have tutors, the same as Clemson.”

Kelly said that the Tigers are staying in constant contact, and he even got an email from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney earlier in the day.

“They [the Clemson coaches] are awesome,” he said. “They really are. They are sending letters to me and to my dad. Coach Swinney just told me he hopes I had a wonderful Easter, and for me to tell my dad hi. They are earning a lot of brownie points.”

Kelly said he had already worked out twice with his receivers by early Monday afternoon, and was planning another session for Monday evening as he gets ready for the season opener – a game against Aquinas (Rochester, NY) and their big defensive tackle, Penn St. commit Jarron Jones.

“It is really important to go out there and work hard,” he said. “We have some other guys on the team who are being checked out by D1 schools and we all want to start the season right. We open up against Aquinas again this year, and we want to start out the season right.”

Kelly said he hopes to have a final decision by July, and if Clemson remains at the top of his list, he may be back in Clemson for Swinney’s camp in early June.