Cade Klubnik took some time during his press conference on Monday to praise this particular position group.

Clemson’s starting quarterback made it clear he’s proud of the Tigers’ receiving corps after what he called the “negativity” surrounding the unit at the beginning of the season.

“Those are guys that I’m just so proud of,” Klubnik said of Clemson’s receivers. “Through a lot of negativity starting off the season of people saying certain things about them, you’ve just got guys play after play after play making big plays when needed.”

True freshman Tyler Brown is Clemson’s leading receiver through seven games in catches (29) and yards (391) and has two touchdown receptions. Junior Beaux Collins is second on the team with 26 catches and 368 yards and has two touchdown catches as well, while junior tight end Jake Briningstool has a team-high three touchdown catches as part of his 23 total catches for 251 yards.

Briningstool, of course, is coming off a career game at Miami last Saturday when his five catches and two touchdowns covered 126 yards, the most by a Clemson tight end in a single game in school history and the most by an ACC tight end since 2019.

Brown added five more catches for 53 yards against the Hurricanes, and sophomore Antonio Williams, the Tigers’ leading receiver a season ago, returned from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury to catch a couple of passes for 47 yards. Unfortunately for Williams and Clemson, he injured his toe, and head coach Dabo Swinney said Sunday that he’s “going to be out for a little while.”

Collins had two catches for 29 yards against the Hurricanes, including a 28-yard grab on Clemson’s first possession of the second half, and sophomore Adam Randall recorded a career-long 34-yard reception at Miami, his first catch since the Sept. 23 Florida State game.

“Beaux with a big-time catch to open up the second half. Adam just finally getting loose. Tyler making some big-time third down conversions. Antonio with some big catches, and obviously Jake just lit it up,” said Klubnik, who went 18-of-34 passing for 314 yards and two touchdowns with an interception at Miami.

“So, just really proud of them, and they’re just going to continue to come to work every single day and just continue to be leaders throughout our program. So, just really proud of them, and just never felt like we stopped believing.”

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