By William Qualkinbush.

Mike Williams saw an opportunity. It was the first drive of the game for Clemson, the second offensive snap, and he knew he had a clear touchdown. He looked back for the ball, only to see a teammate—Germone Hopper—grab it out of the air and take it to the end zone.

“I really thought Deshaun was coming to me,” Williams said with a grin. “I was a little more outside (than Hopper).”

Through four games, Williams has been the top target for Clemson’s quarterbacks. The sophomore has amassed 365 yards on 15 receptions and has established himself as a legitimate downfield threat for the Tiger passing game.

Against North Carolina, Williams had his first career 100-yard receiving game. He hauled in six passes for 122 yards—both of which were career highs—and a pair of touchdowns. Over the first four games of his sophomore season, Williams has yet to gain fewer than 70 yards in a game and is averaging 24.3 yards per catch, which ranks fifth in the country among receivers with at least ten catches.

Much of Williams’ production can be traced to his rapport with new quarterback Deshaun Watson. The bond between passer and catcher began months ago upon Watson’s January arrival on campus, and Williams says he feels like the two are already on the same page on the field.

“We feel like we connect well,” he said. “As soon as he got here, we got on the field and ran a lot of routes and threw a lot of balls. We pretty much had that connection as soon as he got here.”

Williams has been compared by some to former Clemson wideout DeAndre Hopkins due to his basketball background and his ability to go high into the air to pull the ball down in coverage. Watson sees that potential in Williams, so the freshman quarterback knows to look his way to take advantage of favorable matchups. Watson did just that on multiple occasions against North Carolina.

“During the week, (Watson) told me if he saw one-on-one matchups, he was coming to me,” Williams said of last week’s game. “He feels like I can go up and make the plays. He has that confidence in me.”

The Hopkins comparisons make sense given Williams’ range and skill set, but Williams says he draws inspiration from a pair of former Tiger receivers currently in the NFL that he saw make strides on the practice field. He says perhaps the most important lesson he has learned from players who have parlayed success at Clemson into pro careers is the importance of preparation on in-game execution.

“In high school, I didn’t really have good practice habits,” It pretty much came easy to me. But now, coming to college, I’m learning how to practice. Seeing how Sammy (Watkins) practices, how Martavis (Bryant) practices, I’m picking up some things and learning how to take them to my game.”

So far, those lessons have taken Williams’ game to the next level. Watson has needed that boost from the player he considers his safety valve.