The Tiger Sports Staff is continuing a new series this week: Gridiron Greats. The staff collectively researches and votes to determine which players from Clemson’s history were the most effective at each position. For the purposes of this series, the staff is not including current players in the rankings. However, each week will include an examination of current players and their potential to rank among the greats.
This week the staff will rank the top 5 wide receivers in Clemson history.
1. Sammy Watkins
Clemson is highly known for developing wide receivers, especially in recent years, and Sammy Watkins is regarded as the best one by many. Watkins is Clemson’s all-time receiving leader (3,391 yards) and all-time touchdown leader (tied with DeAndre Hopkins with 27). Of Clemson receivers, he has the most receptions in a single season (101 in 2013), most receiving yards in a season (1,464 in 2013), most receptions in a single game (16 vs. Ohio State in the Orange Bowl), and most yards in a single game (227 vs. Ohio State). As the stats might show, his best game was in the 2013 Orange Bowl against Ohio State (230 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns).
Watkins was a two-time first-team All-American, two-time first-team All-ACC, and a Biletnikoff Award finalist. He is tied for the highest drafted Clemson Tiger of all-time (4th overall to the Buffalo Bills in 2014). He played last season for the Los Angeles Rams and currently plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only is Watkins the best receiver in Clemson history, he is arguably the best Clemson Tiger, ever.
2. Deandre Hopkins
Coming in second is Clemson legend and current NFL star DeAndre Hopkins. In his three seasons with Clemson, Hopkins racked up 3020 yards and 27 touchdowns. Hopkins’ third and final season in 2012 was one of the best seasons in ACC history, and he helped lead the Tigers to their first 11-win season since 1981. During his junior season, Hopkins annihilated the Clemson single season touchdown and receiving yards record with 18 scores and 1,405 yards. His 18 touchdowns are the most ever for an ACC player while his 1,405 yards put him at 4th all time. His 2012 performance earned him all-ACC and third team All-American honors.
Hopkins was the number one target for quarterback Tajh Boyd in a receiving corps that consisted of six current NFL players including Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant. After his junior season, Hopkins shot up NFL drafts boards and was taken 26th overall by the Houston Texans. Had Hopkins been surrounded by less talent at the wide-receiver position, he could have realistically approached NCAA records for receiving yards and touchdowns. Nonetheless, Hopkins’ Clemson resume will go down as one of the best ever.
3. Mike Williams
There are few receivers in Clemson’s history that can boast the kind of pure statistical production on Mike Williams’ resume. Even fewer can say that they so consistently elevated their performances in the postseason. Williams was the number one target for Deshaun Watson during the Tigers’ 2016 National Championship campaign thanks to his remarkable size, strength and vertical leaping ability.
Despite having to redshirt in 2015 due to an injury, Williams started 30 games during his Clemson tenure and amassed 2,727 yards on 177 catches to go with 21 touchdowns, a first-team and a second-team All-ACC selection.
Williams’ most iconic play was a demonstration of his outstanding physical attributes and came against Clemson’s most bitter rival, South Carolina.
Against Carolina, Williams scored three touchdowns in just the first half. The touchdown that Clemson fans will remember came in the first quarter when Williams caught a shallow slant pass and proceeded to literally carry a defender on his back into the end zone.
Williams will be remembered for his role in Clemson’s first National Championship in 35 years and for being one of the most explosive and athletic receivers in the program’s history.
4. Perry Tuttle
Perry Tuttle will forever be enshrined in Clemson football history for his game winning catch against Nebraska in the 1981 Orange Bowl. This catch secured the first national championship win for Clemson, which and turned out to be our only one championship for the next 35 years.
Tuttle caught 150 passes for 2,534 yards throughout his career. These numbers may seem modest compared to the likes of Hopkins, Watkins, and Williams, but Tuttle played in an option offense. He averaged almost 17 yards per reception, which is higher than his counterparts I mentioned above. He never had a 1,000-yard season in his 4-year career, but those were very uncommon in the 1980s.
Tuttle is remembered for his catch and being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, but he should also be remembered as an all-time Clemson great receiver. He was drafted number 19 overall in the NFL draft. If Tuttle played in a modern college football offense, his numbers would look similar to that of Hopkins and Watkins. It is always important to keep stats in perspective and in the case of Perry Tuttle, the perspective is that he played in a run- first offense and is still 6th all time in receiving yards by Clemson players.
5. Artavis Scott
Artavis Scott concludes our list, ranking as Clemson’s 5th best wide receiver. His ability to come up with contested catches and fight for yards after the catch allowed him to make big plays for the Tigers. Breaking all kinds of Clemson records, Scott played a role in each of the 43 games of his career.
He had six games with at least 100 receiving yards, and at least one reception in all but one game, setting a school record for longest streak- 38 games- with a catch. Scott ended his college football career with a total of 245 receptions, which is the 5th all time amount in ACC and the most in Clemson history.
These catches totaled to 2,458 yards, and 19 touchdowns, ranking him 5th in scoring for wide receivers in Clemson history. In the three seasons he spent at Clemson, Scott was named 1st team All-ACC once and 2nd team All-ACC twice. Scott helped the Tiger’s get to and win the National Championship in 2016, before entering the NFL undrafted.
