Kelly Bryant on the road to recovery

Bryant worked out at the Palmetto Showdown 7-on-7 Tournament at Byrnes over the weekend

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Mon Jul 14 15:39:54 GMT-04:00 2014

DUNCAN - Kelly Bryant Kelly Bryant
Quarterback
6-4, 205
Piedmont, SC
ESPN:
View Full Profile ’s world was turned upside down when he was hospitalized earlier this year. Two surgeries later and still fighting a battle to gain weight, the 2015 Clemson commit is on the road to recovery.

In February, Bryant was hospitalized with stomach pains that he thought were related to the medications that he takes to control his Crohn’s disease, but it turned out he needed surgery to remove an infection and a second surgery to repair his small intestine. After months in recovery, Bryant found himself weighing 167 pounds – almost 40 pounds lighter than his weight at the end of last season.

The road to recovery has been long and arduous, but participating in 7-on-7 tournaments like the Palmetto Showdown at Byrnes High School this past weekend has allowed the Piedmont (SC) Wren standout to slowly make his way back to playing shape.

“It feels really good being out here with all of my guys and trying to get better and get ready for the season,” Bryant told TigerNet Saturday afternoon. “It's really good to get back on my feet and regaining everything that I've lost. I'm just trying to get better.

“It helps a lot with building chemistry and building a bond to help us get ready for the season. Practice is three weeks away so all of this work is a good thing. Getting the timing down with all of the receivers and being able to see defenses. Getting to look at the defense without the pass rush so that I can see the schemes.”

After not being able to participate in any football activities for the past three months, Bryant is working to regain his timing, mechanics and muscle strength.

“It was a shock. Looking at where I was, it was just like, 'Wow!' Anything can happen and change your whole idea and perspective of things,” Bryant said. “I lost all of my muscles. My mechanics were a little off, because I haven't touched a ball in about three months. It's about doing the little things and then working off of that to build towards getting my strength and weight back. I've been doing the weight room and all of that. I'm at 198 and want to be at 210 by playing season.”

Gaining all of the weight and muscle strength back has been no easy task and has taken a lot of hard work, dedication and extra workouts.

“Working out doing extra stuff with my trainer, Ramon Robinson, and doing little stuff like out-of-the-box workouts,” he said. “When I was at Abbeville, which is a run-oriented offense, I didn't know how to throw the ball much. He has helped me progress from being an athlete to being a true quarterback. He helped me from the ground up.”

With his decision to attend Clemson already made and his health problems behind him, Bryant can turn his focus to building chemistry with the 2014 Wren Hurricanes.

“It's a big deal. I can just get better with my guys and not have to worry about where I'm making my decision,” he said. “I wanted to get it over with so that I wouldn't have to worry about it. I already know where I want to go. The important thing for me was to get the decision out of the way so that I can focus on school and football.”