Antonio Williams was something of a late bloomer as a recruit, as the former four-star prospect from Dutch Fork High School (Irmo, S.C.) didn’t receive his first scholarship offer until his junior year.
The highly regarded wide receiver had to wait even longer for the offer from Clemson that he wanted. It wasn’t until Nov. 20 of his senior year in 2021 that the Tigers pulled the trigger on an offer to Williams, and by that time, he had amassed more than two dozen other offers to choose from.
Williams wasn’t sure if Clemson would ever offer, but he’s certainly glad that he eventually got it.
“I didn’t get my first offer until I think my junior year, so I was kind of late and all that,” Williams said Wednesday. “But Clemson was my last offer, so it took a while. I was kind of waiting on it. I didn’t know it was going to happen, but I’m glad they offered me, and probably the best decision I’ve made in my life.”
Williams didn’t jump on the Clemson offer immediately. Instead, he took some time to do his due diligence and think things through. However, it didn’t take very long for the former top-100 national prospect to determine that he definitely wanted to be a Tiger.
Williams ended up committing to Clemson on Dec. 9, 2021, just a few weeks after receiving the offer. The Tigers beat out South Carolina, Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida State and Notre Dame, among many others, for his verbal pledge.
“Clemson’s just probably the best program in the country. So, it’s an honor to receive that offer,” he said. “I don’t think, at first, I was like, alright, I’m coming to Clemson. I still had to think about it a little bit. But it didn’t take long.”
Williams explained what his thought process was like when there were a slew of other schools coming after him and Clemson still hadn’t offered, but he was trying to be patient with the Tigers while waiting to see if they would come through with the offer.
“I mean, you can’t wait on a school,” he said. “Like, you have to take into account the schools that have offered you. Because at the end of the day, if the school that you’re waiting on doesn’t offer, then you’re just going to be clueless and not know where to go. So, just being patient.”
Looking back on how it all unfolded, Williams appreciates the transparency with which Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham handled his recruitment.
“Grish, he was really honest with me,” Williams said. “He told me that he had a guy that was offered, and if he didn’t commit, then I would be getting the offer. So, just trusting in him, and he really was honest with me throughout the whole process.”
The presence of Cade Klubnik in Clemson’s 2022 recruiting class factored into Williams’ decision to choose Clemson, knowing that he’d be catching passes in the future from the former-five star prospect ranked as the nation’s No. 1 quarterback in their class.
Asked if Klubnik recruited him pretty hard during the process, Williams said, “Oh, yeah.”
“We’ve got a great relationship,” Williams said. “Obviously, he was the best quarterback coming out of the 2022 class. So, of course that affected my decision. I wanted to have a quarterback that’s going to be able to get you the ball. This year it’s going to be DJ (Uiagalelei). In the long run, though, I know he’s going to be there.”
After hauling in 137 passes for 2,458 yards and 23 touchdowns in his prep career, Williams enrolled at Clemson this summer and went through fall camp before making his collegiate debut in Monday’s season opener vs. Georgia Tech.
Williams made an impact against the Yellow Jackets, gaining 37 yards on a team-high-tying four receptions, and racked up plenty of yards after his catches while showing off his shiftiness, quickness and explosiveness in the open field.
“I just tried to make the best of my opportunities, and just catch the ball and get upfield,” he said.
Williams’ first college action, which came in the 41-10 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, seemed surreal to him.
“To be real, it was like a video game, to be honest,” he said. “Like running out on that field, I just had to close my eyes and just take it all in. The first time was crazy.”
Now, after visiting Death Valley as a recruit in the past, the true freshman is getting ready to play in his first game there this Saturday when the Tigers host their home opener against Furman at 3:30 p.m.
“I just remember being in the stands. Now, I get to go out on that field and experience the atmosphere, all the great traditions and everything,” he said. “So, I’m just looking forward to it.”
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