'Relentless' Antionio Williams Setting Tone for Clemson Receivers

CLEMSON- Antonio Williams never really got an opportunity to build on a phenomenal freshman campaign.

The redshirt sophomore missed most of last season, as an injury limited the wideout to just four games in the regular season, before he returned for the Tigers’ thrilling comeback win over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl.

Fully healthy, Williams attacked the spring with a vengeance, and then took that mindset into the summer, and head coach Dabo Swinney has taken notice.

“He’s been relentless,” Swinney said on Tuesday at Clemson’s annual media day. “I mean, if I could just pick one guy on this team that has transformed and gotten better in every area, it’s Antonio.”

After catching 56 passes for 604 yards with four touchdowns in 2022, Williams was named a freshman All-American. However, the instate talent, out of Dutch Fork, is still as determined as ever to take that next step, and Swinney fully believes a big season is in store.

“The guy makes freshman All-American and that makes him the greatest thing ever. No, it doesn’t,” Swinney said. “It just means he caught a few balls, made a few plays as a freshman. But man, he had so much work to do to get better. And then last year, obviously he he’s out, whatever… game three. He’s basically done for the year so we were actually able to redshirt him. But man he has grown and matured and who he is today compared to who he was when he got here, it’s not even close.”

Williams has also grown into one of the leaders of a wide receiver room that enters fall camp fully healthy for the first time in recent seasons, and Swinney gives some of the credit for his growth to receivers coach Tyler Grisham.

“He has become a leader,” Swinney added. “His work ethic. His spring practice, the practice habits that he displayed day in and day out, just his overall development, I’m just really proud of it. I mean, Grish has done an awesome job with him. He’s kind of setting the tone for us in that room this offseason.”

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