Clemson could get bump from return of wideout Antonio Williams

Expectations were high for Clemson’s offense entering the 2023 season. With former five-star recruit Cade Klubnik stepping into a starting role at quarterback and offensive coordinator Garrett Riley coming over from TCU, many believed the Tigers could be a legitimate College Football Playoff contender due to what this program had on offense.

The return of Antonio Williams also had something to do with that.

The former top-100 recruit in the class of 2022 out of Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork made a huge impact as a true freshman. Williams earned Freshman All-American honors after leading the Tigers in targets (75), receptions (56), and receiving yards (506). Many believed that Williams could be a true WR1 for a program that has produced a ton of star wideouts.

Unfortunately, that has not occurred this season. Williams has been in and out of the lineup with injuries most notably suffering from a toe injury that occurred in October. The sophomore has played in only four games this season and will take a redshirt in 2023 after recording 15 receptions in the first three games of the season. But the time between the regular season and the Gator Bowl has given Williams some time to recover. The four-star wideout will not be 100 percent this weekend, but will be back in the lineup for Clemson.

That figures to give Klubnik and the rest of this passing game a boost after starting wideout Beaux Collins entered the transfer portal and ultimately committed to Notre Dame. Williams has legitimate NFL potential and gives Clemson another weapon that Kentucky’s pass defense must account for.

The Tigers have struggled to throw the football this season ranking No. 49 in passing success rate, No. 79 in passing EPA/play, and No. 115 in yards per attempt. Getting Antonio Williams back could give this throw game some more knockout power in the Gator Bowl.