ESPN analyst Greg McElroy is certainly high on Clemson’s wide receiver corps heading into the upcoming campaign.

On an episode of his Always College Football show, McElroy broke down his top 10 wide receivers entering the 2025 season.

McElroy ranked Clemson’s Antonio Williams at No. 9 on the list, in front of Nebraska’s Dane Key at No. 10.

Williams checked in behind Missouri’s Kevin Coleman (No. 8), Oregon’s Evan Stewart (No. 7), Ohio State’s Carnell Tate (No. 6), Auburn’s Eric Singleton (No. 5), Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson (No. 4), Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt (No. 3), Alabama’s Ryan Williams (No. 2) and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith (No. 1).

In his third year at Clemson in 2024, Williams was a first-team All-ACC selection after recording career highs with 75 receptions, 904 receiving yards and the aforementioned 11 receiving touchdowns. He also added seven carries for 101 yards and a touchdown and went 2-for-2 passing for 62 yards with a touchdown pass.

Williams, who was a freshman All-American in 2022, heads into the upcoming campaign with 153 career receptions for 1,732 yards and 17 touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder has caught at least one pass in each of the 33 games he has appeared in while at Clemson.

“If you have him on the field, you know you’re in pretty good shape,” McElroy said of Williams. “Now, he’s not the biggest guy in the world – he’s about 5-11, about 190 pounds – but what I like most about Antonio Williams is how you can play him pretty much anywhere. You can play him in the slot. That’s where he’ll spend most of his time, but he can play outside if necessary. …  Pound for pound going into this upcoming season, he might be one of the most talented players on the Clemson roster, regardless of position – just pound for pound, how good is this guy at playing football, and I think most people would say, yep, Antonio Williams doesn’t take a back seat to many on this roster. …

“I also love now too that he is now entering Year No. 3 with Garrett Riley. We know the offensive line’s going to be good. We know that his supporting cast is going to be good. I think the 75 for 904 yards that he had last year, that number could go up. I would not be surprised whatsoever if he expands beyond the 1,000-yard mark. … Because I think he proved last year that he is extremely dependable. He proved last year that he is a playmaker. He’s been proving that for years, to be honest with you. But I now think that this offense has a chance to go to the next level because of the continuity that’s been created over the last couple years.”

McElroy also highlighted some “breakout wide receiver candidates” – those who narrowly missed his top 10, but who deserved an acknowledgement of what could happen this season.

Among the potential breakout receivers McElroy listed are Clemson’s TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco, who combined for 86 catches, 1,359 yards and 10 touchdowns as true freshmen last season.

McElroy believes both are poised to enter his top 10 receiver rankings with really strong campaigns this season.

“I can’t choose one or the other because I think the way they complement each other is incredibly special,” McElroy said.

“TJ Moore – a little bit bigger, a little bit more physical, a little bit more capable catching the ball in a wide catch radius. Bryant Wesco – tremendous speed, burner, really gifted tracking the ball downfield, really gifted when it comes to getting behind the defense, threatening the defense deep. So, this is a guy in TJ Moore that’s going to win that big 50/50 ball. This is a guy in Bryant Wesco that can take the top off at any one point.”

Added McElroy: “Those two married with Antonio Williams there in the slot, and Clemson’s gone from being underwhelming at wide receiver the last couple years to now having arguably the best wide receiver corps in the ACC and one of the best wide receiver corps in the entire country.”

McElroy also touched on Clemson redshirt sophomore receiver Tyler Brown, saying the 2023 freshman All-American would be in the mix for possible breakout candidacy as well, with a clean bill of health in 2025 following an injury-plagued 2024 season.

“I didn’t even mention Tyler Brown – he’s also a really capable deep threat, and they also have a couple other guys that are factoring into the mix as well,” McElroy said. “So, TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco, I’m extremely excited to see what they’re going to do in Year No. 2.”

Clemson hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since Amari Rodgers in 2020 (1,020 yards), so McElroy was asked in a mailbag question from a fan if the Tigers will have a 1,000-yard wideout in 2025.  

“If you’re looking at a 1,000-yard receiver, is that what you want as a Clemson fan? Honestly,” McElroy said. “Because if I were Clemson, I’d rather have four receivers that were all 700-plus yards, as opposed to one guy that has gone over 1,200 and he’s the one guy that the defense has to take away to slow down an offense that might be very difficult to defend.

“I like having greatness across the board, and if one guy gets a little more volume, and as a result, gets a little bit more of an opportunity to crack the 1,000-yard mark, that’s awesome. But I would rather have my No. 4 wide receiver capable of ripping off a 150-yard game than have a guy that has got to go for 150 for me to win and beat top-level competition. Depth at wide receiver is a real plus, and Clemson heading into this year certainly has it.”

A panel of ESPN reporters recently ranked the best receivers in college football for 2025, and Williams came in at No. 6 on the list, while Wesco appeared at No. 8.