Antonio Williams made an immediate first-year impact for Clemson last season, leading the Tigers in receptions (56) and receiving yards (604) while also hauling in four touchdown catches and serving as the team’s punt returner for most of the season.
Dabo Swinney hopes to see Williams take the next step in his development as a sophomore this year, coming off a 2022 season in which he collected multiple freshman All-America honors.
“You just want to see a guy learn and apply the lessons from last year,” Clemson’s head coach said on Monday as his team kicked off spring practice. “Just take that next step. He was freshman All-American. They don’t give sophomore All-Americans.”
Williams made 10 starts last season, the most by a Clemson freshman receiver since Hunter Renfrow’s redshirt freshman season (10 in 2015) and the most by a true freshman receiver at Clemson since Sammy Watkins (10 in 2011).
A former four-star prospect from Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C., Williams became the first true freshman to lead Clemson in receiving yards since Justyn Ross in 2018 and the first to lead in receptions since Artavis Scott in 2014.
In his second collegiate campaign in 2023, Swinney wants to see Williams “take another step from a maturation standpoint in just his overall total development,” and take a step forward as a leader as well.
“He needs to get stronger in the weight room, get a little bit more committed nutritionally,” Swinney said. “Technically, he was a pretty advanced kid coming in here, but really polishing up on some things from a technical standpoint. And then starting to become a little bit of a leader. That’s a position that he thrived in. He came in, he ended up winning the job, but just taking that next step to being a dominant player day in and day out, and just physically and mentally maturing a little bit. I think you’ll see that in him. I’ve already seen that in him as well. But just being a little bit more of a leader as well.”
Dear Old Clemson has added the Tiger Sack Pack to our online store. Save by getting the Two Pack of signed cards from two of the nation’s top defensive ends, Myles Murphy and Xavier Thomas.
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