Note: The following appears in the SMU football gameday program.
Junior wide receiver Antonio Williams arrived at Clemson ahead of the 2022 season and has been a reliable part of the Tigers’ passing offense since. His background with football spans as long as he can remember.
“I started out with flag football at the YMCA and now I’m here. I played basketball and track all the way through high school, but this was always my main focus.”
Williams attended Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C., winning three state championships and losing just one game during his high school career. Since committing to Clemson in December 2021, Williams has started 32 games for the Tigers, totaling 170 receptions for 1,903 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is also 4-4 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns in his career.
In his first season in 2022, Williams earned first-team Freshman All-America recognition while starting 10 games for the Tigers. After injuries limited him to just four games during his sophomore season in 2023, he exploded for 75 receptions for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024, earning First-Team All-ACC honors.
The most important of those receptions came in the ACC Championship Game against SMU, when a 17-yard reception on the last offensive play of the game set up the eventual game-winning 56-yard field goal by Nolan Hauser that sent the Tigers to the College Football Playoff.
“My favorite memory at Clemson so far was winning that game in such dramatic fashion.”
In the Tigers’ 2025 season opener against LSU, Williams exited the game with an injury and missed the next two contests. He said dealing with both personal and team adversity shows the true character of a team.
“Adversity is what tests a team’s character and shows who’s really committed to moving forward and winning. Tough times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men and weak men create tough times.”
Williams added that Head Coach Dabo Swinney instills these values in the team. Williams has also learned how to think critically thanks to Swinney.
“He teaches us how to do things the right way and not compromise for anything. He talks about how powerful the mind is and how we need to use it to be successful.”
Both Williams and fellow wide receiver T.J. Moore were placed on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List prior to the season. The accolade is given to the best wide receiver in college football. Williams said this year’s wide receiver group is the best he has ever been a part of.
“We are all competing for reps and targets, but we all want to win at the end of the day. That’s going to make each of us the best version of ourselves.”
After returning from injury this season, Williams threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Moore on the first play of the game at North Carolina on Oct. 4, making him the first Tiger non-quarterback with multiple career passing touchdowns since C.J. Spiller (2006-09).
Williams said his favorite part of playing football at Clemson has been the people he has gotten to know and the relationships he has built.
“The people really make this place special. I look forward to being with my teammates every day and having friendships that I know will last a lifetime. There’s nothing like being a part of a team.”
Williams, who is a fourth-year junior, has a decision to make about his football future after this season. Nevertheless, he looks to continue to be a big factor in the 2025 Tigers’ offensive success and finish the season on a high note.
