Time to add some playmakers to our Top 30 Clemson players for 2023 list

Antonio Williams is looking to avoid a sophomore slump.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Fri Jul 07 07:00:18 GMT-04:00 2023

It’s time to get offensive with our Top 30 for 2023 list.

We are looking at what we think are the Top 30 players for the Tigers this season. This list looks at a few different factors – the depth chart being the most important part – but also how valuable that player is to the team, how much depth is at that spot, and how much that player will contribute this season.

We’ve had fun looking at some of the players so far, and we chip in today with three members of the Clemson offense at Nos. 18, 17, and 16.

Top Tigers for 2023

30. DE Tomarrion Parker, 29. CB Jeadyn Lukus, 28. OL Mitchell Mayes

27. RG Walker Parks, 26. P Aidan Swanson, 25. WR Beaux Collins

24. DE Justin Mascoll, 23. S Jalyn Phillips, 22. LB/S Wade Woodaz

21. RB Phil Mafah, 20. C Will Putnam, 19. CB Sheridan Jones

No. 18, Blake Miller, OT

To say that Blake Miller had an outstanding freshman season is an understatement. Miller earned first-team Freshman All-American status from College Football News, FWAA, On3 and Pro Football Focus. He was College Football Network’s ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year, a second-team All-ACC selection by College Football Network, and he started all 14 games for Clemson, and his 989 offensive snaps tied teammate Jordan McFadden for the fourth-most by an offensive tackle in a season in program history.

He was an All-ACC Academic Team selection, ACC Honor Roll selection, and he started at right tackle in the season opener at Georgia Tech, becoming only the third true freshman to start a season opener at offensive tackle for Clemson since 1944, joining Mitch Hyatt (2015) and Phil Prince (1944).

There were moments when he looked like a freshman offensive lineman, but Miller brought a much-needed level of intensity and nastiness to the line from his right tackle spot. However, with Jordan McFadden headed to the NFL, Miller took reps at left tackle this spring.

“I’m excited to give it a shot and kind of learn a new position,” Miller said late in spring practice. “I feel like it’s getting better to the point where (the difference) is getting close to unnoticeable.”

Miller told us he felt more comfortable this spring and spent time honing his craft.

“Just get my technique better, my aggression better and then my understanding of the overall game better,” Miller said. “That’s my main goal right now whereas the first spring, it’s more of learn the offense and get the techniques at least somewhat understood. Now it’s kind of more trying to perfect things.

“I felt like the biggest thing last year was understanding situational stuff and looking at guys’ alignments and tells they can give you to kind of see what they’re going to do before the ball is snapped. I feel like that translates to both sides of the (line).”

No. 17, Antonio Williams, WR

Another freshman who had an outstanding campaign in 2022, all Williams needs to do this season is to be himself.

Williams earned first-team Freshman All-American recognition from ESPN, On3 and Pro Football Focus and also garnered second-team Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic. He caught 56 passes for 604 yards with four touchdowns in 690 offensive snaps over 14 games (10 starts) and also rushed five times for eight yards, returned 15 punts for 129 yards, completed a six-yard pass and had a 26-yard kick return. His ten starts were the most by a Clemson freshman receiver since Hunter Renfrow’s redshirt freshman season (10 in 2015) and the most by a true freshman receiver at Clemson since Sammy Watkins (10 in 2011).

Williams wants to build off his freshman season, and he thinks Garrett Riley’s offense is the perfect place to do that.

"I think my freshman year was just a start. I'm looking to build off that, especially with this new Air Raid offense. We're going to sling the ball around and it's going to be a lot of fun,” Williams said. "We are going to pass the ball for sure, but at the same time we're going to run. We got Will Shipley and Phil Mafah back there so we got to them the ball. I think it's going to be faster. We got a lot of uptempo pace going. We're signaling faster. We are just going to be moving the ball really fast."

Williams told us he felt disappointed in parts of his season.

"I feel like I underachieved and as group we underachieved,” he said. “We have high expectations here and we definitely didn't meet those last year. But it's a new year and we got something to prove.”

Where does he want to improve?

"Just being the alpha dog, that go-to guy in those tough situations where we need a first down, touchdown, big play,” Williams said. “I'll make that play. And then turning short routes and screens into big plays."

No. 16, Jake Briningstool, TE

I was joking with Briningstool’s parents this past spring that when I first noticed their son – at Dabo Swinney’s high school camp – I wrote “Drago” in my notebook. Why? Because he looked a lot like Ivan Drago, the boxer from the Rocky IV movie, played by Dolph Lundgren. (Side note: Lundgren studied chemical engineering at Clemson for a while).

His parents told me that was Jake’s nickname in high school, and after two years of playing the understudy (of sorts) to Davis Allen, he’s ready for his starring role. He enters 2023 having caught 28 career passes for 352 yards and five touchdowns in 494 offensive snaps over 22 career games (one start). In 2022, he accrued 285 yards and four touchdowns on 25 receptions in 392 offensive snaps over 14 games (one start).

In Riley’s offense – designed to use the middle of the field and take advantage of matchups – Briningstool might see his production double. Tight ends coach Kyle Richardson compared it to how Kansas City uses Travis Kelce.

"It's like (Travis) Kelce with Kansas City," Richardson said. "You better go out there to defend him if he's out there. ... But at the same time, Brinny or whoever it is has to come back in the box and be physical enough to help us in the run game too."

Briningstool agrees.

"I think this offense allows us to have a lot of matchup problems," Briningstool said. "I think Coach Riley has done a good job coming in, identifying playmakers and working to get them the ball."