One part of the offense that has recently become dormant has been the wide receiver room for Clemson football.
With a team that was notoriously known for its “Wide Reciever U” nickname in the 2010s, that name has slowly begun to be a name of the past with recent history. Players like Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, and Mike Williams all left the Tigers several years ago, and head coach Dabo Swinney is still looking for their next guy to join the top receiver royalty.
However, with recent moves and rising player production from the position last season, the Tigers have all the capability to return to the notorious title of “Wide Reciever U”. With an important fall season upcoming to prove it, don’t be surprised if many other receivers turn to Death Valley in the near future to play at the collegiate level.
Notable Coach = More Prospect Buzz
Perhaps the biggest move of the collegiate football offseason on the coaching side was when Clemson hired former TCU offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley, to be their new offensive coordinator after firing Brandon Streeter. Making a move like this helps persuade potential Clemson prospects, who will now look to play under a guy like Riley. His offense fits wide receivers and he wants to get them the ball and have production as many times as possible.
Prospects can see this with the production of former TCU quarterback and receiver duo Max Duggan and Quentin Johnston, who won a plethora of awards, including First-team All-Big 12. The two played incredibly through Riley’s playbook last season with the Horned Frogs and were selected in the 2023 NFL Draft in April.
The Tigers have also recently picked up two commits for the 2024 season to help strengthen their wide receiver group. The first was Terrance (TJ) Moore, a four-star wideout from Tampa, Florida.
Later the same day, the Tigers added another receiver to the class with five-star recruit Bryant Wesco, who will travel from Midlothian, Texas to Death Valley to play college ball.
Since the departure of Jeff Scott, the wide receivers coach who gave the Tigers their trademarked nickname a decade ago, Tyler Grisham has been the next man up to coach the wideouts. Since being named in February 2020, Grisham has picked up experience along the way in his time as a coach so far. Being partnered with Riley and his air raid offense, Grisham will learn a lot from Riley, and he will help the receivers have much higher production than they have in years past.
Current Player Production is a Huge Factor
With the addition of Riley, the most important factor to attract new prospects is for the players on the current roster to have an incredible season and display numbers that former Tigers have had in the past. With the talent that head coach Dabo Swinney has on his roster and Cade Klubnik behind center, Clemson has the capability to have not just one, but many players ball out in the 2023-2024 season.
Headlining the Clemson wide receivers is Antonio Williams, who will enter his sophomore season with plenty of accolades earned from his freshman year and has the potential to explode under Riley in his second season with the Tigers. The standout tallied 56 receptions for 604 yards and four touchdowns in his first year and set an incredible example for incoming Tigers with a phenomenal freshman year.
Besides Williams, there are a plethora of other receivers who have the talent to put up numbers that Williams had, which could influence other prospects to choose the Tigers. This ranges from returning players like Beaux Collins, Cole Turner, and Adam Randall, or new faces on the roster who can send shock waves around the country like Noble Johnson or Ronan Hanafin.
Although the Tigers are still awaiting their next big receiver to help take them to the College Football Playoff, they are in the perfect place when it comes to being a location for prospects to be attracted to. Despite recent struggles, there is no question that Death Valley can be “Wide Reciever U” once again through the recent addition of the new offensive coordinator, Garrett Riley, and the talent on the team that can explode under him.
