With Clemson’s spring football season in the books, The Clemson Insider is taking a look at where things stand at each position heading into the summer.
After assessing the quarterback, running back and tight end positions, receiver is next up.
Note: This is where things stand with Clemson’s personnel for the 2023 season coming out of the spring. With the transfer portal in full effect, things are always subject to change, though the two-week spring window for undergraduate players to enter the portal closed Sunday. This story will be updated as needed to reflect any future modifications at the position.
Who’s staying?
Beaux Collins, Antonio Williams, Adam Randall, Brannon Spector, Cole Turner, Will Taylor, Troy Stellato, Noble Johnson
Who’s leaving?
None
Who’s joining?
Tyler Brown, Ronan Hanafin, Misun Kelly
Analysis
The question continues to linger heading into another summer: Can Clemson regain its old form out wide?
There are multiple factors that will go into answering that inquiry, but a critical one will be remaining healthy. Collins is one of the Tigers’ more polished and proven receivers with eight touchdown catches in 21 career games, but a shoulder injury shut him down early last season and kept him limited during the spring. Randall, a Myrtle Beach native, was an in-state coup for the Tigers during the 2022 recruiting cycle, but a torn ACL derailed his freshman season and kept him out of spring ball.
Perhaps the most dynamic of the group is Williams, a freshman All-American who finished last season as the team’s leading receiver in the slot. But the Tigers are still searching for reliable, big-play weapons to complement that on the outside. The coaching staff continues to voice confidence that Turner could be that kind of playmaker. He flashed his ability as a true freshman last season with big games late against North Carolina and Tennessee. Spector, the oldest of the group, gives Clemson versatility with the ability to play both inside and out, but he’s entering his fifth season with just 34 career receptions in 28 games.
Might Johnson or one of the other newcomers be able to give the group an immediate lift this fall? Johnson, a 6-foot-3 target on the outside, went through the spring as an early enrollee and repped with the second-team offense as a result of some of the attrition at the position. Hanafin (6-3), Brown (5-11) and Kelly (5-10) will have to learn first-year coordinator Garrett Riley’s offense quickly during fall camp, but it’s a versatile group of newcomers at the position.