Growing Together

CLEMSON — During Clemson's rout of Wake Forest last November in Death Valley, an ESPN camera zoomed in on Cullen Harper and Aaron Kelly as the two sat on the bench.

Kelly looked at the camera, pointed to Harper and told viewers they were looking at the best quarterback in the country. Harper responded by pointing at Kelly and calling him the best receiver in the nation.

The moment said a lot about their friendship, and also about how far they've come since arriving at Clemson

in virtual obscurity four years ago. The two Atlanta natives have formed a tight bond during their careers with the Tigers, and Saturday at the Georgia Dome they'll be two of the marquee players in No. 9 Clemson's opener against No. 24 Alabama.

"He's definitely a good friend of mine," Kelly said. "He's someone I can trust, someone who has been through the whole process, the ups and downs of Clemson. And someone I can relate to with anything that happens. I feel like we've been through everything together."

The two first met on an official visit to Clemson. They exchanged phone numbers while rooming together, and after they signed with Clemson they began meeting regularly to throw and catch.

Harper played at Sequoyah High and was something of an obscurity because he missed most of his senior year to injury. Kelly was a tall, skinny receiver for Walton High, and his only other scholarship offers came from Wake Forest and Duke.

Both players redshirted in 2004, and Kelly made a big splash in 2005 by hauling in 47 catches for 575 yards. He enters his senior season needing just three receptions to become Clemson's career leader in that category, and he's 51 catches shy of the ACC's career record of 216.

Harper, who finally got his chance last season after backing up Charlie Whitehurst and Will Proctor in 2005 and 2006, is regarded by many as the top senior quarterback in the country. He set 22 school records last season while guiding the Tigers to a 9-4 record, and he's a big reason so much is expected of them this year.

In July, Harper was voted ACC preseason player of the year. Kelly earned first-team all-conference honors after securing the distinction at the end of last season as well.

"Coming in, a lot of people didn't expect a lot of things out of us," Harper said. "But we're both very high-driven people, and we both want to be successful."

Harper and Kelly have grown closer the past few years. Last summer, they met in Atlanta for regular throwing sessions as Harper prepared for his first season as the starter. They still managed to get together a few times this summer even though Harper stayed in Clemson and Kelly trained in Atlanta.

Kelly, who's now 6-5 and 190 pounds, said he suspected early on that Harper was better than advertised.

"He had just a rocket for an arm," he said. "It was just something I'd never seen before."

Kelly and Harper have similar personalities. Both tend to be soft-spoken while projecting confidence without seeming selfish or egotistical.

"We're both unselfish players," Harper said. "We both want what's best for each other and don't really care who gets the glory, just as long as we get the win. He makes my job a lot easier, just going out there and throwing to him. And he's got a good feel for the game. When I'm thinking something, he's usually on the same page as me."

Both players are hoping to look good in front of the home folks for a change. Kelly is 0-for-3 in Atlanta, with two losses to Georgia Tech and a defeat to Auburn in the 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl. Harper had difficult games in his hometown last season, completing just 31 of 72 passes for 298 yards in the two losses to the Yellow Jackets and Tigers.

Harper was coming off shoulder surgery in the Auburn defeat and had his worst game of the season (14-of-33, 104 yards).

"We didn't have a great game against Georgia Tech," he said. "Didn't have a great game against Auburn. But there were some things out of our control. My shoulder was hurt, so nothing I could do there. But it's going to be good to go back home and get another chance to play in front of that crowd."

Said Kelly: "We just want to win, and that's what it boils down to. We're definitely not going to have another chance."

In January, Kelly sent Harper a text message and told him he was going pro early. Harper had serious concerns about how things would unfold in 2008.

But Kelly changed his mind soon thereafter after a long talk with his mother, and no one was more elated than his quarterback.

"I'm just very fortunate to have him," Harper said.

Reach Larry Williams at lwilliams@postandcourier.com and check out the new Clemson blog at www.charleston.net/blogs/tiger_tracks/