Latest Clemson 'WRU' shirts add 2 key words: 'Prove it' (2024)

CLEMSON— This offseason, Clemson junior Adam Randall purchased his fellow wideouts some T-shirts emblazoned with a familiar logo.

"Wide Receiver U," they proclaim.

That's a nickname Clemson earned over many years, thanks to stars like Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Williamsand Tee Higgins. But it is a moniker that has been slipping from the Tigers' grasp in recent years.

No Clemson receiver has amassed 1,000 yards in a season since Amari Rodgers in 2020. The most any wideout has compiled in the last three seasons is 604, courtesy of then-freshman Antonio Williams in 2022.

So Randall could print T-shirts with the nickname, but he added two very important words underneath WRU: "Prove it."

"Because we haven't proven it these last couple years," Williams said. "That's the standard here, and probably four, five years ago, we were at that point where we were mentioned as Wide Receiver U.

"You have to have the mentality to get back there. And not just say it, but go out there and do it."

After multiple failed reboots, the Tigers believe this can actually be the year.

When second-year starterCade Klubnik scans the field this season, he will be able to target former blue-chip prospects like Randall, Williams and Troy Stellato here or a three-star find likeTyler Brown there. Freshmen TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr. could be game-changers sooner rather than later.

If each and every one lives up to his potential, Clemson's passing game could ignite in Garrett Riley's second season as offensive coordinator.

But it has to be seen to be believed, because the Tigers' receiving corps has been too beat up and beaten down to live up to WRU in recent seasons.

A shirt, urging them to "prove it," represents their collective mindset.

"I wanted to bring that element back into the room and instill confidence into the room," Randall said. "I just wanted them to go out there and be Wide Receiver U that I know it can be. We got the players, we got the personalities. We just gotta go out there and do it."

Randall, who stands 6-2, 231 pounds, knows he hasn't lived up to the massive potential of his large-but-lean frame. He was a star of his first springbut tore his ACL that April. Somewhere between his knee troubles and multiple hand injuries, Randall lost an ability to play fast and free.

Meanwhile, Williams wonders if he came off a freshman All-American season too complacent, feeling a bit sluggish in anopening week loss at Duke. Clemson fell to 2-2 with an overtime defeat to Florida State,and Williams wouldn't play in another regular- season game because of a lingering ankle injury.

It was disappointing year, but it reminds Williams of an injury-filled sophom*ore season at Dutch Fork High. He had no scholarship offers.

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"It just put this feeling inside of me that just made me go out and make plays. And I had that my freshman year of college, but I feel like I lost it a little bit," Williams said. "I have it back now. So I'm just ready to go and prove it."

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney will certify Williams' hunger, naming him one of the stars of the Tigers' offseason. Klubnik has thrown to Williams on slant routes and said he's quicker than ever.

Randall has not only regained his confidence, but Clemson receivers coach Tyler Grisham believes he hasn't had a better leader since Amari Rodgers. He saw Randall taking Wesco with him to various training sessions over the summer.

"I think Adam knows, hey, Wesco's really good at some things that I can learn from. Let's help each other," Grisham said. "That's been really cool for me to see. There's not any animosity. There's a brotherhood we've had, and I think it's even stronger this year."

That's important because Clemson's coaches expect more than a half-dozen receivers to command significant snaps. There is "variety" at wideout, Grisham said, with a wider range of body types and skill sets.

Brown, Williams and Stellato are all quick-twitch in the slot, but Grisham won't rule out Randall in that role to create some mismatches over the middle. Moore, Wesco and Cole Turner can all stretch defenses vertically on the outside.

Moore and Wesco, in particular, have done nothing to temper hopes of what they might bring. Brown called the wiry Wesco, who stands 6-2, 182 pounds, a "route technician" with speed and savvy to create separation. Moore, well-built at 6-3, 198, has "automatic hands," Brown said, and is just "smooth" in his routes.

Almost too smooth in how he makes his cuts.

"He got that swagger to him. He got a little bit too much swag sometimes," Brown said."We're gonna bring that dog out of him. Once he pairs that dog up with them hands, he's gonna be dangerous."

It has to be proven on the field. But there is confidence that it can.

Stellato, who missed his first two seasons to unrelenting injuries, has certainly caught wind of criticisms of Clemson's receiving corps. That the Tigers haven't had receivers who can "separate." That they can't stay healthy.

That Clemson isn't WRU anymore.

But the Tigers believe the doubters will be proven wrong.

"People are going to say what they want to say at the end of the day. We haven't been where we should be over the last three years. That's a fact," Stellato said. "We're going to get there this year. It's all good."