Hunter Renfrow is the only former Clemson player on the Carolina Panthers’ roster, but there’s a handful of ex-South Carolina Gamecocks on the team.
One of those is fifth-year cornerback Jaycee Horn, a 2021 first-round draft pick, who was a true freshman at South Carolina back in 2018 when Renfrow was in his final year with the Tigers.
There’s some trash talking going on during Panthers minicamp, even though Horn said he and Renfrow haven’t had the chance to match up on the field, with Renfrow being a slot receiver and Horn defending on the outside.
Still, the Clemson-Carolina rivalry runs deep.
“Yeah, we don’t like that orange school at all,” Horn said, via ABC Columbia sports anchor Noah Chast.
Another former Gamecock on the Panthers’ roster is wide receiver Xavier Legette, who is entering his second NFL season in 2025 after being selected by the Panthers in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft.
Legette and Renfrow, a pair of Palmetto State natives, didn’t cross paths in their college careers, as Legette played for the Gamecocks from 2019-23 while Renfrow suited up for the Tigers from 2014-18.
Legette recently spoke about what the dynamic is like between him and Renfrow in the Panthers’ receiving corps, with the two hailing from rival schools.
“I didn’t really get to play against Hunter Renfrow. But he’s like 25 minutes from where I’m from,” Legette said. “So, it ain’t no bad blood with him.”
Of course, Renfrow is a new addition to the Panthers’ receiver room after agreeing to a deal with the team on April 27, following a year out of the NFL last season as health challenges kept him off the field. After signing with Carolina, Renfrow revealed that he dealt with the autoimmune condition ulcerative colitis, which caused weight loss, fatigue and high fevers.
Healthy now as he returns to action after a year off, Renfrow’s performance on the field in his NFL comeback has impressed Panthers head coach Dave Canales.
On Tuesday, Renfrow hauled in a catch on a deep ball at the end of practice.
“Every day, you see him shine in different ways,” Canales said, via ESPN NFL Nation reporter David Newton, who covers the Panthers. “Outside of [veteran wide receiver Adam] Thielen, no one’s had more catches in the NFL, than Hunter. So, to see him show up in different ways – attack a zone, attack leverage in different ways on his releases – it’s so cool because you can coach off that stuff. But to see him be comfortable out there, he makes plays every day.”
A 2019 fifth-round pick of the Raiders and 2021 Pro Bowler, Renfrow recorded 269 receptions for 2,884 yards and 17 touchdowns across his five seasons with the Raiders from 2019-23.