Healthy Antonio Williams not taking the game for granted

Antonio Williams is showing off his increased leadership ability this spring.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Tue Mar 26 07:00:03 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON – Antonio Williams is happy to be an active participant during spring and will never take his health for granted.

Williams enters 2024 credited with 828 yards and six touchdowns on 78 receptions and five rushes for eight yards in 851 career snaps over 19 games (14 starts). He 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.

However, various injuries limited him to only four games in the regular season last year, triggering a potential mid-career redshirt. He posted 22 receptions for 224 yards with two touchdowns and three punt returns for 14 yards over 132 snaps in five games (four starts).

A healthy Williams is happy to play the game he loves this spring.

“It feels great. Last year I definitely realized I took being healthy for granted and this game, I just love it so much,” Williams said Monday. “So every time I step on the field, I'm going to give 110%.”

As one of the older players in a room full of youngsters, Williams is a natural fit as a leader.

“Yeah, everybody in my class, me, Adam (Randall) and Cole (Turner) and then Troy (Stellato). A couple guys older than us,” Williams said. “We are all trying to lead. I definitely feel like I've stepped into that role more so than I have in the previous years just because last year we had Beaux Collins and he was just a natural leader, so I'm trying to take some of the traits that I learned from him while he was here and lead the way he did.

“Just being the voice in the room, bringing that edge every day when other guys or even myself are not feeling practice and get kind of lazy and don't want to go out there, you just got to speak up and be like, ‘Hey guys, this is a day to get better and play the game we love.’”

How has the offense looked this spring?

“Great. Actually, last year, you probably asked me the same question. I said the same thing, but this year, when I say it, I really mean it,” Williams said. “And our receiver room, we got some dogs, and it's competitive, and we got more people coming in, so we're competing for spots out there. And then if you get tired, tap out, somebody else that's hungry is going to try to go out there and make plays too.”

Williams is moving from the slot to the outside, but he said the move feels natural.

“I played everywhere in high school my freshman year. I got on the outside a little bit here, but it is natural,” he said. “I mean, there's some things that I know I have to work on. Obviously just being more physical, there's going to be bigger guys out there, so just being more physical and not letting them keep their hands on me and just going up and making contested plays.”