Ever watch a player and instantly feel he’s on the verge of something big? Clemson fans do, and they know the name: Antonio Williams. Clemson’s star wide receiver, who went from redshirt question mark to one of the team’s top playmakers. After a breakout 2024, Williams isn’t just talked about in Death Valley; he’s now making NFL folks sit up and pay attention. Trust me, college football fans, this is gonna get good.

Last season, Williams delivered the kind of performance you’d expect from a top-tier WR. He led the Tigers with 75 catches, 904 yards, and 11 touchdowns after sitting out most of the games in 2023. PFF took notice, slotting him at No. 2 among slot receivers and No. 5 overall wideout in their 2026 preseason rankings. Not bad for a guy who’s 5 feet 10 inches but plays like he towers over everyone on the field.

Now here’s where it gets spicy. American football analyst Todd McShay, yes, the guy whose grades can swing your fantasy draft, stepped in and talked about Williams. “So my highest rated guy, Antonio Williams, I gave a 91. So, again, like they’re in a cluster for me at least. He’s pretty good, too. I want to see if Antonio Williams takes his game to another level this year,” he said on the Todd McShay show. He even called Antonio an “average-sized playmaker” while recalling his last season’s numbers. “He led the Tigers, uh, 74, 75 catches, 904 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns. Also averaged 9.7 on punt returns.”

What’s interesting about McShay’s breakdown is how he called attention to specifics, saying, “I would give him a one as a route runner. Our position-specific grades are: one is excellent, two is above average, three is average, four is below average, five is marginal,” he said. That route-running grade speaks a lot about Williams’ hype. And what makes this grade so rare isn’t just the number; it’s the context. Slot receivers don’t normally get spotlighted grades this high. Most of the attention goes to the big-bodied boundary guys. That means Williams isn’t only catching eyes, he’s snatching the spotlight from other WRs in the country.

If you ask me, Camp 2025 is Williams’ audition for the next chapter, and McShay’s grade just turned the announcer mic up. We’re talking 2026 NFL looks, projections, and maybe even the “first‑round debate.” Will he stay consistent? Can he elevate without the element of surprise? These are the questions we’ll all be asking this fall. But he isn’t the only one who’s getting all these praises ahead of the much-anticipated season. His teammate and Clemson’s star QB Cade Klubnik is also making headlines already.

While Williams rises, Klubnik eyes college football’s biggest prize

Cade Klubnik is one of the star players who will have a lot of eyes on him in the 2025 season. And not just that, he will also have a lot of competition from other quality signal-callers like Arch Manning, Bryce Underwood, Sam Leavitt, and others. The Heisman Trophy race is going to be a thrilling battle this season, but what if we say that Klubnik’s already become a favourite of some veteran analyst in the college football world. Yes, you heard that right.

Popular analyst and Heisman Trophy voter Phil Steele was asked who’d be his Heisman pick for the upcoming season. And he didn’t think twice before saying, “I went with Cade Klubnik at Clemson,” Steele told Mike J. Asti. “He’s got a tremendous receiving corps. When you look back two years, he had a depleted receiving corps. Last year, he had an outstanding one. They had a big year.” Well, Steeve has a reason to choose Klubnik. Standing at 6 feet 2 inches, weighing 210 pounds, he racked up 3,639 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, just six interceptions, and added seven more scores with his legs. So these numbers tell everything why he’s in the Heisman Trophy race.

With Cade Klubnik earning early Heisman love and Antonio Williams catching eyes, Dabo Swinney’s offense is turning up to be one of the most lethal units in college football. If somehow, both manage to carry where they left off last season, don’t be surprised if the Tigers roar their way back into national title contention again and send a few more names soaring up draft boards.