Clemson Freshman Impresses his Defensive Teammate

Barrett Carter says he has to bring his A-game to cover Antonio Williams

Jessica Gallagher / USA TODAY Network

CLEMSON, S.C. — There is one freshman that has impressed Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter a lot, and he is not a defensive player.

Instead, he is a wide receiver, and he happens to share the same jersey number as Carter.

What is his name?

Antonio Williams.

“He is a really shifty guy,” Carter said following Day 4 of training camp Tuesday inside the Poe Indoor Practice Facility in Clemson. “He is really tough to guard. He challenges me every time I try to guard him.”

Williams came to Clemson as a highly regarded receiver from Dutch Fork High School near Columbia, S.C., where he was rated in the top 100 overall nationally by several outlets.

With Brannon Spector, E.J. Williams, Troy Stellato and Will Taylor playing the slot position, as well, Carter admits it makes his job in practice very hard.

“I have to be on my A-game every single play against a room like that,” Carter said. “They bring out the best in me.”

Williams’ emergence is not that surprising. He hauled in 137 passes during his high school career for 2,458 yards and 23 touchdowns. Last year, the 6-foot, 180-pound freshman caught 85 passes for 1,625 yards and 15 touchdowns, including 10 games in which he recorded at least 100 yards.

“He is a great route runner. He runs routes like, I don’t want to say he is an NFL receiver yet, but he will be,” Carter said. “He is a great route runner. He is not the biggest guy, but he uses his size to his advantage. So, he is very quick. He is very shifty. He is fast.

“You have to be on you’re A-game when guarding Antonio. I am telling you he has really, really shown me what he can do. I am very impressed with him.”

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