We all know Clemson Football’s recruiting/NIL philosophy doesn’t lend itself towards landing transfers, but if there was a position group that fans have generally been hoping beyond hope that the Tigers would take a transfer over the past three seasons, it is wide receiver.
Suddenly, I look at the 2024 roster, and I conclude that Clemson will be deep at wide receiver, and I begin to question my sanity.
Projected first-string: Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco, Tyler Brown
Projected second-string: Troy Stellato, TJ Moore, Adam Randall
Reserves: Cole Turner, Ronan Hanafin, Noble Johnson
Notable walk-ons: Clay Swinney, Hampton Earle
Quick preface – this is a projection of the depth chart to begin the 2024 season, based on all factors we (the public) are aware of, which includes the exact status of these players with injuries.
Williams and Brown are the two names that seem like a no-brainer to put in the starting line-up. Which position they play is a bit tougher to say, but it seems most likely that Brown will be repping the slot when he is healthy. That doesn't mean that Williams won’t rep the slot. I simply think Williams is the most likely of the two to line up at one of the two outside receiver positions.
Remember, Garrett Riley’s offense doesn’t have a field or boundary position, simply a left and right. When Williams and Brown are on the field together, I think Williams takes either side, but when Brown rotates off, I think we see Williams rotate to the slot.
I think that Wesco would be the next man up to start alongside Williams and Brown, based on what we saw this spring. Wesco looked like he had acclimated well. Enrolling early will give him a leg up over Moore, who will arrive this summer. Based on reputation alone, I think Moore will be among the first guys off the bench.
Unless injuries have impacted someone’s abilities, I think Randall, Stellato, and Turner will be part of the rotation as well, but for differing reasons, I think Turner is probably at the end of the pecking order. Stellato missed the latter half of the spring and the Spring Game to have some clean-up surgery, but he played almost all of the 2023 season, whereas Turner hasn’t been healthy enough to play since the second game of the season.
Randall has not lived up to expectations, but that doesn't mean he didn’t make progress throughout the season. He won’t be filling the superstar role that I think many of us were hoping for when he was a freshman, but he delivered a few key catches late in the season and produced the same in the Spring Game.
Hanafin became a reliable special teams player last season before he was injured, and I would imagine he will fill a similar role in 2024. I don’t anticipate a lot of snaps at receiver unless injuries deplete the group again.
I don’t know where Johnson stands. Despite the excitement of some fans for his arrival last season, he was the least utilized of the freshmen receivers behind Brown and Hanafin. With his off-the-field concerns this offseason, one could easily see this as a season where Johnson needs to work his way out of the doghouse.
While this group will be deeper this season than it has been in some time, they are still searching for that true clutch receiver who can be a big-time contributor. Between Williams, Brown, and the two freshmen, hopefully one of them will step up and be that guy.