Tag: Hunter Renfrow

Renfrow gives thoughts on Clemson-UGA game

Former Clemson and current Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who is entering his third season in the NFL, was a guest Tuesday on “Out of Bounds” with William Qualkinbush and Kelly Gramlich on WCCP 105.5 FM The Roar. Renfrow was asked …

Former Clemson and current Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, who is entering his third season in the NFL, was a guest Tuesday on “Out of Bounds” with William Qualkinbush and Kelly Gramlich on WCCP 105.5 FM The Roar.

Renfrow was asked to give his thoughts on the top-five matchup pitting Clemson against Georgia on Sept. 4 in Charlotte.

“I’ve heard Georgia has some injuries,” Renfrow said to Qualk and Kelly. “I hear our defense is playing unbelievable right now. I hear this is the best they’ve ever played — of course, (Dabo) Swinney probably says that every year – but some guys in the facility and stuff like that, the defense is playing unbelievable. And it was great to get Justyn (Ross) back. Just excited for him. I think you learn a lot from sitting out a year and not knowing if you’re going to be able to play football again. So, I’m excited about watching Clemson play. … I’m excited. If they can get a big win here, first game, then it’s going to snowball and they’re going to have a great year. So, I’m excited to watch them.”

Kickoff for the highly anticipated showdown between the third-ranked Tigers and No. 5 Bulldogs in the Duke’s Mayo Classic at Bank of America on Sept. 4 is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

After cooking one of NFL’s top corners, Renfrow confident he can ‘beat anybody in the NFL’

Hunter Renfrow got the best of one of the NFL’s top defensive backs on Wednesday. The legendary Clemson receiver, now entering his third NFL season with the Las Vegas Raiders, matched up against former Florida State and current Los Angeles Rams star …

Hunter Renfrow got the best of one of the NFL’s top defensive backs on Wednesday.

The legendary Clemson receiver, now entering his third NFL season with the Las Vegas Raiders, matched up against former Florida State and current Los Angeles Rams star cornerback Jalen Ramsey during a joint practice in Thousand Oaks ahead of Saturday’s preseason game between the two teams at the Rams’ SoFi Stadium.

According to reports from Wednesday’s practice, Renfrow beat Ramsey on multiple occasions and made him look bad.

Following the practice, Renfrow spoke with reporters about the confident mindset he can take away from his performance against Ramsey.

“For me, I’m just going out there and doing my job and having fun and really just competing with myself,” Renfrow said. “And that’s the beauty of it – if I can beat Jalen Ramsey, I can beat anybody in the NFL. Because he’s one of the best, and that’s how I approach it. He got me a few times today, so hopefully tomorrow we’ll make each other better again.”

In two seasons after being selected by the Raiders in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, Renfrow has recorded 105 receptions for 1,261 yards and six touchdowns.

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

What They Are Saying: Tigers in the NFL

The NFL preseason is in full swing and plenty of former Clemson football players are getting ready for their respective campaigns. In this edition of What They Are Saying, we take a look at what is being said on Twitter about some of the former …

The NFL preseason is in full swing and plenty of former Clemson football players are getting ready for their respective campaigns.

In this edition of What They Are Saying, we take a look at what is being said on Twitter about some of the former Tigers in the NFL:

Time to get the latest Clemson apparel to show your Tiger pride. Order your officially licensed Clemson gear right here!

Renfrow doing what he does best

Hunter Renfrow is doing typical Hunter Renfrow things at the Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp ahead of his third NFL season in 2021. The Clemson legend continues to impress with his superb route-running ability and hands, as you can see below in …

Hunter Renfrow is doing typical Hunter Renfrow things at the Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp ahead of his third NFL season in 2021.

The Clemson legend continues to impress with his superb route-running ability and hands, as you can see below in this post from the NFL’s official Twitter account:

In two seasons after being selected by the Raiders in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft, Renfrow has recorded 105 receptions for 1,261 yards and six touchdowns.

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Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards go way back, ‘vital’ for Edwards development

Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards go way back, ‘vital’ for Edwards development

We forget sometimes how young some of these NFL guys are. Guys come into the league at 20 or 21 years old. Even with several years of college under their belts, these guys are just barely removed from being teenagers. Some, as was the case for Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards, stayed close to home for college, so when they get drafted into the NFL, it can be an extreme culture shock.

Edwards grew up in Conway South Carolina, went to Conway High School and attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia which is a little over two hours away. Then he gets drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders and suddenly at age 21 he’s pulled away from his family and everything he knows and heads across the country.

That’s not easy for anyone, even a football player who people like to think of as being tough and battle tested.

When he arrived, however, there was a familiar face in the wide receiver room — Hunter Renfrow.

Renfrow also grew up in South Carolina, attending Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach, which is the next town over from Conway. The two receivers have known each other since JV football. Renfrow was a year ahead of Edwards and also stayed in-state for college at Clemson.

“It was vital, honestly,” Edwards said of Renfrow as a teammate. “Coming all the way out here from South Carolina, I’d never really been out of the state my entire life, so coming out here to Vegas and everything new, having Hunter here was important. Just having a familiar face here, he helped me so much. Mentally you get a little homesick and you have a guy right there that understands you, that’s huge.”

The two young receivers have tremendous respect for each others’ games as well. Edwards calls Renfrow a “Swiss army knife, tough as nails” and “a true dog.” Renfrow says of Edwards “You can’t guard him when he’s locked in and he’s going full speed.”

Renfrow has proven to be an asset to the Raiders as a slot receiver and third-down target. While Edwards is still trying to carve out his niche as a jump ball, red-zone target. He just needs to stay healthy in order to showcase the skills he shows in camp on game day.

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Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow feels no threat from addition of Willie Snead, only benefits

Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow feels no threat from addition of Willie Snead, only benefits

Over two seasons with the Raiders, Hunter Renfrow has cemented himself as the primary slot receiver for this team. His nickname has two words in it that just about every receiver in the league would love to have ‘Third-and-Renfrow.’ So, when the team added veteran slot receiver Willie Snead to the mix, there wasn’t the feeling Snead would be a big threat to Renfrow’s job security.

It is possible that Snead can get some of Renfrow’s snaps, however, being that he is a somewhat different kind of slot target than Renfrow. That, too, doesn’t seem to bother Renfrow.

“It doesn’t matter if he’s out there or I’m out there,” Renfrow said of Snead, noting that Trey Quinn and DJ Turner are also trying to find a spot on the roster as slot receivers. Again, with no real threat to Renfrow’s job.

Since Renfrow was drafted, he’s always been a pretty laid-back guy. He jokes easily about not looking like an NFL receiver and the fact that up until the last couple of games of his rookie season, he had never had a 100-yard game at any level. Then he had two.

Some fans may remember Snead’s 172-yard game for the Saints against the Raiders in the 2016 season opener. He would have just one more 100-yard game since then, giving him the same number of 100-yard games in five seasons as Renfrow has had in two.

On the contrary, Renfrow has benefitted from Snead’s presence as a seven-year veteran slot receiver.

“I really enjoy talking to Willie because he’s done it for a while and he’s run a lot of choice routes and a lot of underneath stuff and just how he sees the game,” Renfrow said. “It’s helped me a lot being able to read coverages and skipping off the ball and being able to decipher if they’re playing top hat or if they’re locking it, those little things. Last two years I just feel the defense, now it’s like ‘What are they giving me? What can I take?’ And to know from pre-snap what you’re gonna do.”

What’s funny about this is how often defenses have to know Derek Carr is looking for Renfrow on third down. And yet he always seems to get open to convert. It sure looked like he was taking what he wanted then. But, hey, if he feels that way now, watch out.

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Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 11-15

Ranking the top 25 players on Raiders roster: 11-15

After revealing players 25-16 over the last two days, we head into the top 15 players on the Raiders roster:

15. LB Cory Littleton

Some people may be surprised to see Littleton ranked this high after the season he had in 2020. I don’t think it’s fair to write him off after one season. Consider the situation he found himself in. He joined a new team, with a complicated defense, in a year that had no offseason.

As a free agent, he was considered the best all-around linebacker on the market. I am not ready to let one down season erase that. I see a bounce-back year for Littleton with a full offseason in a more simplified system under new DC Gus Bradley.

14. OG Richie Incognito

At times Incognito looks just as dominant as he ever did. But he’s missed 18 games the past two seasons and is about to turn 38 in July. I don’t expect he will be at the level he was known for in 2017 and before when he was a durable Pro Bowl player, but he will be far from a liability on the line either.

13. WR Hunter Renfrow

Third-and-Renfrow is absolutely a thing. Defenses know Derek Carr will be looking for his reliable slot target on third down and yet Renfrow still manages to get open and move the chains.

He upped his game last season from his outstanding rookie season, catching seven more passes (56) for 51 more yards (656). He also did a solid bit of punt returning, averaging 11.5 yards per return on 23 returns.

12. DT Johnathan Hankins

Probably the most under-appreciated player on the Raiders’ defense. He’s started every game the past two seasons and appeared in every game since being signed early in the 2018 season. He clogs the middle and puts up tackle numbers you don’t normally see from a nose tackle, averaging 49 combined tackles the past two seasons.

11. G Denzelle Good

Good was seen as a quality reserve guard when the Raiders claimed him off waivers from the Colts in 2018. Last season he proved he was a whole lot more. A career guard, he stepped in at right tackle for a couple of games early in the season and then moved back to guard to replace the injured Incognito for the rest of the season. He made himself a must re-sign and a starter after the team traded away Gabe Jackson this offseason.

Continue on to rankings players 6-10

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WATCH: Hunter Renfrow talks about the 2016 title game, and Dabo Swinney’s halftime speech

The former Clemson Tigers receiver Hunter Renfrow reflects on his first title under Dabo Swinney.

In this video, which is a part of our “Championship Moments” series, former Clemson Tigers WR Hunter Renfrow talks with former UGA QB Aaron Murray about the 2016 Clemson team, which won a national championship.

Renfrow is a receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders now, but back in 2016 he was on his way to his first title playing under coach Dabo Swinney at Clemson. In this clip, he reveals the halftime speech that Coach Swinney gave during that title game.

Renfrow has already talked to us for this series, in fact. In a previous clip, he reflected on his two different Clemson championship seasons, and how they were different, but equally special.

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WATCH: Hunter Renfrow on how battle-tested his 2018 Clemson team was

The former Clemson Tigers receiver Hunter Renfrow reflects on his second title.

In this video, which is a part of our “Championship Moments” series, former Clemson Tigers WR Hunter Renfrow talks with former UGA QB Aaron Murray about the 2018 Clemson team, which won a national championship.

Renfrow is a receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders now, but back in 2018 he was on his way to second title playing under coach Dabo Swinney at Clemson. In this clip, he reflects on how battle-tested that 2018 team was, and what made them special.

Renfrow has already talked to us for this series, in fact. In a previous clip, he reflected on his two different Clemson championship seasons, and how they were different, but equally special.

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Derek Carr continues his deep-ball heroics with touchdown to Nelson Agholor

Derek Carr has been one of the NFL’s sneaky-best deep throwers this season. He’s continuing that against the Chargers.

Through the first eight weeks of the 2020 season, few quarterbacks had been more efficient with the deep ball than Derek Carr of the Raiders. But Jon Gruden has not yet let Carr cut it loose in a way that is commensurate with that efficiency. Per Pro Football Focus, Carr had attempted just 20 passes of 20 or more air yards in Las Vegas’ first seven games. To put that in perspective, Carson Wentz led the league with 45 deep attempts in the season’s first eight weeks, and Carr’s 20 attempts put him behind Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, and Philip Rivers.

Which, when you look at the numbers, doesn’t make a lot of sense. Carr has obviously worked on his deep-ball mechanics in the offseason — his upper and lower body mechanics are clearly better-integrated this season — and it’s paying off. On those 20 deep attempts, Carr had completed 11 passes for 438 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. Again to put into perspective, Aaron Rodgers led the NFL with 626 passing yards on deep attempts, and he’d had 44 of them, completing just 17.

This is one of the primary reasons Carr was the quarterback of my mid-season All-Underrated Team.

The most underrated offensive players through the first half of the 2020 NFL season

On this week’s Touchdown Wire NFL Preview Podcast, Mark Schofield and I spent a bit of time talking about this, and hypothesizing that it was time for Gruden to take the training wheels off. We are not insinuating that Gruden listens to our podcast… but so far, the deep ball is working like a charm for the Raiders against the Chargers.

There was this 45-yard third-quarter touchdown pass to Nelson Agholor that was perfectly placed…

And then, Carr doubled down with this scramble-drill throw to Hunter Renfrow for 53 yards. When you have this level of communication with your receivers on broken plays, your offense is in good shape.

Last season, Carr completed just 18 of 48 deep passes for 568 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions, but this is clearly a different quarterback, and it’s good to see his coaches catching up.