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UNC Football: Gauging Tar Heels chances for Kelly Bryant

By Zack Pearson

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Kelly Bryant #2 of the Clemson Tigers thows the ball in the first half of the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Kelly Bryant #2 of the Clemson Tigers thows the ball in the first half of the AllState Sugar Bowl against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 1, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant will announce his decision on Tuesday night and pick which school he will attend beginning in January

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program is hoping to land their first big recruit in the form of transfer quarterback Kelly Bryant.

The former Clemson standout will make his decision on Tuesday and although he isn’t a recruit, he would be a big get for new head coach Mack Brown and this program. But where do things stand going into Tuesday’s decision?

Bryant has visited a few schools since he announced he was transferring from Clemson back in September including UNC. He took an unofficial and an official visit to Chapel Hill over that period of time and seemed to like his visit.

After the school announced the firing of Larry Fedora, Brown even visited with the quarterback last week prior to his announcement.

It’s unknown how much the coaching change has really impacted Bryant’s decision but it is a good sign that Brown did go down to visit him. With the new head coach in charge it could open up an opportunity for Bryant to see the future of the program. But it could also put a damper on UNC’s chances.

The other schools Bryant is considering are Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi State and Auburn.

The Tar Heels are competing with four SEC schools and each one are likely in better shape than UNC going into next season. Auburn is probably the school that gives Bryant the best chance to compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff as it stands right now.

The latest report had it as a two-team race between Auburn and Missouri as we began the month of December. 

With Jarrett Stidham likely going to the NFL after this season, Bryant has a chance to come in and start right away on an offense that returns a lot of talent.

UNC does give Bryant the chance to play right away and they do return almost every starter on offense from a year ago as well. While Bryant won’t be competing against SEC teams weekly, the Coastal Division in the ACC appears to be wide open again going into 2019.

Mississippi State, Missouri and Arkansas are also seen as good fits for Bryant and being able to play right away.

But the thing that could lure him to Chapel Hill is how close he would be to his hometown in Piedmont, South Carolina.

Bryant has kept things tight-lipped throughout his recruitment and even made a change on his decision day. He was scheduled to make his announcement early on Tuesday but pushed it back to Tuesday night.

That could be a good sign for a Tar Heels program that is thought to be on the outside looking in compared to other programs.

When it comes down to it, we think UNC has a chance but in the end it’s likely going to be Missouri or Auburn. Right now, hours before his decision we will put UNC at a 15% chance to land him come Tuesday night’s announcement.

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