Clemson WR Antonio Williams makes return official

Antonio Williams is back for the 2025 season.

by TigerNet Staff - Jan 3, 2025, 11:03 AM

Clemson's leading receiver two of the last three seasons is officially back in the fold.

Antonio Williams announced he will return for 2025, as expected, instead of opting for an NFL draft try.

"More to be done," Williams said with a video announcing the decision Friday.

Williams led the Tigers with 75 receptions for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.

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Williams enters '25 in reach of several Clemson career records:

- 153 career receptions, 92 shy of Artavis Scott (245).
- 17 receiving TD, 10 shy of DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins & Tee Higgins (27 each).
- 33 consecutive games played with a catch, 10 shy of Hunter Renfrow (43). pic.twitter.com/ZtFaFCLxQJ
— Ross Taylor (@ClemsonFBRoss) January 3, 2025

Williams Clemson bio

Enters 2025 credited with 1,732 yards and 17 touchdowns on 153 receptions and 12 rushes for 109 yards and a touchdown in 1,578 career snaps over 33 games (28 starts) … also credited with 35 career punt returns for 307 yards and is 3-for-3 passing for 68 yards and a touchdown … became the 13th player in Clemson history to record 150 career receptions … will enter 2025 having recorded a pass in all 33 games he’s played for Clemson since his debut season in 2022; his 33-game streak with a reception will enter the year 10 shy of Hunter Renfrow’s school record … had a breakout debut campaign in 2022, earning Freshman All-America honors after leading the Tigers in both receptions and receiving yards in his first semester on campus.

2024: Joined C.J. Spiller (2008 and 2009), Jacoby Ford (2009) and Sammy Watkins (2012) as the fourth Clemson player since 2000 to record a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in a single season … recorded career highs with 75 receptions, 904 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns in 727 offensive snaps over 14 games (all starts) … also added seven carries for 101 yards and a touchdown and went 2-for-2 passing for 62 yards with a touchdown pass … returned 17 punts for 164 yards; his 9.65 yards per return were the most by a Clemson player with at least 15 returns since Ray-Ray McCloud’s 12.12-yard average on 25 returns in 2017 … tied Aaron Kelly (11 in 2007) and Mike Williams (11 in 2016) for the sixth-most touchdown receptions in a single season in school history … posted the first 75-reception season by a Clemson player since 2020 (77 by Amari Rodgers) … was one of 12 Clemson players to start every game in 2024 … first-team All-ACC selection … garnered first-team All-ACC honors from Phil Steele and Sports Info Solutions as well … second-team All-ACC selection by the AP … recorded the ninth season in school history with double-digit touchdown receptions and became the first Clemson player with double-digit touchdown receptions in a season since Tee Higgins in 2019 (13) … his 727 snaps were the most by a Clemson wide receiver since 2014 (749 by Mike Williams) … recorded team highs with six receptions for 76 yards vs. No. 1 Georgia … caught three passes for 44 yards and a touchdown and gained 40 yards on five punt returns vs. Appalachian State … recorded the second multi-touchdown game of his career in catching two touchdowns among his three receptions for 39 yards vs. NC State … gained 37 yards on a team-high four receptions and added a 12-yard rush vs. Stanford … posted a then-career-high 157 all-purpose yards at Florida State, the first 100-yard all-purpose game of his career, as he posted a then-career-high 84 receiving yards on three receptions and a touchdown while adding a career-high 36 rushing yards on two carries and returned two punts for 37 yards … recorded six receptions for 69 yards with a touchdown reception and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass at Wake Forest, becoming the first Clemson player to catch a touchdown pass and throw a touchdown pass in a single game since C.J. Spiller accomplished the feat (and rushed for a touchdown) against NC State in 2009; Williams joined Spiller and Jacoby Ford (2009 against Coastal Carolina) as the third Clemson player to accomplish the feat since 1996 … recorded three receptions for 44 yards, a 36-yard rushing touchdown (the first of his career) and a 34-yard pass completion vs. Virginia, becoming the first Clemson non-quarterback to complete a pass in back-to-back games the game’s opposing head coach Tony Elliott did so as a receiver at Clemson in 2002 … caught seven passes for 27 yards and a touchdown vs. Louisville … gained 48 yards on five receptions at Virginia Tech … recorded career highs in all-purpose yards (163), receiving yards (149) and receptions (13) and matched his career high with two touchdown receptions at Pitt … his 13 receptions at Pitt were the most by a Clemson player since both Mike Williams (15) and Artavis Scott (13) reached the mark against Pitt in 2016 and tied for the fourth-most in a game in Clemson history … caught five passes for 72 yards and tied his career high with two receiving touchdowns vs. The Citadel, becoming the first Clemson player to catch multiple touchdown passes in back-to-back games since Tee Higgins caught multiple touchdowns in three straight games against Wake Forest, South Carolina and Virginia in 2019 … recorded game highs in receptions (eight) and receiving yards (99) vs. No. 16 South Carolina … caught five passes for 50 yards vs. No. 8 SMU, including a 17-yard gain that set up the Tigers’ ACC Championship-winning field goal … collected 66 yards and a touchdown on four receptions at No. 3 Texas.

2023: Limited by various injuries to only four games in the regular season, triggering a mid-career redshirt … posted 22 receptions for 224 yards with two touchdowns and three punt returns for 14 yards over 132 snaps in five games (four starts) … recorded team highs with seven receptions and 56 receiving yards at Duke … caught five passes for 65 yards with two touchdowns vs. Charleston Southern, the first multi-touchdown game of his career and the first by a Clemson pass catcher since tight end Davis Allen caught two touchdown passes at Wake Forest in 2022 … gained 25 yards on three receptions and returned a punt 11 yards vs. Florida Atlantic … returned to action at Miami (Fla.) after missing three games and caught two passes for 47 yards against the Hurricanes … fought through injury to return for the Gator Bowl and caught five passes for 32 yards against Kentucky including a key 16-yard gain on 3rd-and-18 on Clemson’s game-winning drive.

2022: Earned first-team Freshman All-American recognition from ESPN, On3 and Pro Football Focus … also garnered second-team Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic … caught 56 passes for 604 yards with four touchdowns in 690 offensive snaps over 14 games (10 starts) … also rushed five times for eight yards, returned 15 punts for 129 yards, completed a six-yard pass and had a 26-yard kick return … his 10 starts were the most by a Clemson freshman receiver since Hunter Renfrow’s redshirt freshman season (10 in 2015) and the most by a true freshman receiver at Clemson since Sammy Watkins (10 in 2011) … became the first true freshman to lead Clemson in receiving yards since Justyn Ross in 2018 and the first to lead in receptions since Artavis Scott in 2014 … All-ACC Academic Team selection … gained 37 yards on a team-high-tying four receptions at Georgia Tech … caught three passes for 39 yards vs. Furman … recorded a team-high 57 yards on two receptions vs. Louisiana Tech, including his first career touchdown reception on a 19-yard pass from DJ Uiagalelei … made first career start at No. 21 Wake Forest, catching three passes for 51 yards and recording a 26-yard kickoff return as an upback … posted a team-high five receptions vs. No. 10 NC State, gaining 45 yards … once again led the team in receptions at Boston College, catching five passes for 29 yards and sharing team special teams player of the game honors with a 20-yard punt return … recorded 76 yards on two receptions including a 59-yard touchdown at Florida State, Clemson’s longest touchdown pass since the 2020 ACC Championship Game against Notre Dame … gained 30 yards on a team-high five receptions and a career-long 18-yard punt return vs. No. 14 Syracuse … caught four passes for 26 yards at Notre Dame … tied a Clemson single-game freshman record with 10 receptions vs. Louisville for 83 yards and a touchdown … tied the Clemson single-game freshman record shared by Sammy Watkins (2011 vs. Auburn) and Artavis Scott (2014 vs. Louisville and Boston College) with that performance … also completed a six-yard pass to DJ Uiagalelei against Louisville and averaged 12.5 yards on two punt returns to earn team special teams player of the week … caught five passes for 39 yards and averaged 9.0 yards on four punt returns vs. Miami (Fla.) … posted two catches for 11 yards and had a career-long 23-yard punt return among his three returns vs. South Carolina … gained 40 yards on three receptions vs. No. 24 North Carolina … caught three passes for 41 yards in the Orange Bowl vs. No. 6 Tennessee.