After the one-sided defeat to top-ranked Georgia to open the season, the national perception of Clemson’s football program has taken another big hit.
The 9-4 season a year ago was the first time a Dabo Swinney coached team failed to hit the 10-win mark since 2010. There was blood in the water and the national media piled on. This most recent loss only leads more credence to those criticisms. One of the hot-button topics has been Swinney’s portal philosophy as the Tigers were the only Power-4 program to not take a transfer over the offseason.
However, despite all of the vitriol out there, and even with some inside the fan base starting to pile on, veteran wideout Antonio Williams still believes. He believes in his head coach, what he stands for and how he runs his program.
“I believe in my coach, that is why I came here,” Williams said after the loss. “I think he believes in his way of doing things. Developing players and men.”
With Swinney making some changes to his coaching staff with the additions of veteran assistants Matt Luke and Chris Rumph, and the way the program has continued to recruit in recent years, Williams believes Swinney has shown a willingness to make changes, even if it’s not through the portal.
“At the end of the day I think if there is a role that he needed to fill, he has shown that he will go get somebody, whether it is a coach or a player,” he said. “I think he believes in everybody we have here. I know I do. It’s just when you see games like this it’s hard for the fans to believe in us. I mean we got to show y’all.”
Williams was one of the few bright spots on the offensive side of the ball for the Tigers in the lopsided loss. He reeled in six catches for 76 yards, both team highs. While he knows there is currently some doubt among the Clemson faithful, the redshirt sophomore is asking for fans to not be so quick in giving up on this team.
“Don’t give up on us,” Williams said. “It may not look like it but we have the guys in here that can do it. I want to get back to those days of Clemson’s glory days, if you will. I want to be back there just as bad as y’all do. Just keep believing in us and we will show you.”
