TAMPA, Fla. — When Hunter Renfrow came to Clemson, he didn’t know if he would earn a spot on the team. A little more than one year later, the former walk-on wide receiver earned a spot in college football lore.
After nearly becoming an unlikely hero with seven catches, 88 yards and two touchdowns in Clemson’s national championship loss to Alabama last year, the skinny, 5-foot-10 receiver somehow outdid himself during Monday night’s title game at Raymond James Stadium. He made 10 catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns in the 35-31 upset of Alabama, producing one of the greatest moments in the sport’s history with the game-winning 2-yard grab with one second left to break the Tigers’ 35-year national title drought.
“I’ve dreamed about it since I was a kid, all of us, and I couldn’t let these seniors go down like we did last year,” Renfrow said.
With star receivers Mike Williams and Deon Cain out for last year’s national championship, Renfrow found a way to decimate Nick Saban’s defense, but even with Clemson’s top wideouts back for this year’s rematch, Renfrow rose above Alabama’s latest batch of All-Americans.
With Clemson trailing 17-7 midway through the third quarter, Renfrow started the comeback with a 24-yard touchdown catch. On several drives, Deshaun Watson sought out the player who could be mistaken for a band member, the best player in the country looking to the unassuming sophomore to make the biggest catches in school history.
Then, after Mike Williams drew a pass interference call in the end zone to set give Clemson one shot for the championship from the 2-yard line, Watson looked to the kid who was never supposed to be on the field.
“He came in from Day 1 and went to work,” Watson said. “He started out on scout team, and all the guys on defense said, ‘Hunter’s gonna be special.’ … We needed a guy who could be a spark to this offense, and the sky’s been the limit for him since. He always finds a way to do his job and play his role and help the team win. He’s just a guy that goes to work. He’s special and makes everyone else around him better.”
Coming out of high school, the two-star recruit was offered the chance to play quarterback at Wofford, where his father, Tim, had starred. Renfrow also could have accepted a scholarship from Appalachian State, where he knew he would play and he could be the biggest man on the small campus.
Instead, Renfrow took the path most would pass on. He wanted more — and knew he could be more.
“It’s crazy to think about a year and a half ago I was a walk-on,” Renfrow said, “and no one really knew about me.”
Now, no one will ever forget him.