Clemson receiver Hunter Renfrow goes from walk-on to Alabama's 'pain in the you-know-what'

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY Sports Published 4:06 p.m. ET Dec. 30, 2017

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NEW ORLEANS — A “pain in the you-know-what” generally is not how anyone wants to hear themselves described.

Unless it’s Nick Saban, and he’s saying it about an opposing player. Then it’s the greatest compliment in the world.

“It’s pretty cool,” Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow said Saturday, beaming. “To have one of the best ever to coach to acknowledge you is pretty cool.”

To be fair, Saban’s assessment was dead on — at least from an Alabama standpoint. Renfrow is a small (he’s 5-10), relatively slight (Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said he was “weak as a noodle” when he arrived on campus), baby-faced, former walk-on. He tends to be overlooked in a receiving corps that includes prep stars and future NFL picks.

Yet Renfrow has owned Alabama like few other players in the Saban era. He has four touchdowns in the last two national championship games, including the game-winner with one second left last year.

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“The guy is very quick, very instinctive as a player, knows how to get open, makes the right decisions, really kind of a go-to guy for them on third down,” Saban said. “So very, very crafty, very quick, but very smart in terms of how he plays.

“They utilize him extremely well,” Saban added. “And he's very effective at how he does what they ask him to do.”

An Alabama killer is not what anyone would have expected when Renfrow arrived at Clemson. Walk-ons, even preferred ones such as Renfrow, tend to have a similar career arc: scout team to special teams. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll get in on a possession or two by their senior year.

But Renfrow realized early on that his path could be different.

The Tigers had the nation’s No. 1 defense in 2014 and Renfrow, who was redshirting, was on the scout squad. That meant he spent most of his days going up against Mackensie Alexander and Jayron Kearse, both of whom would be drafted by the Minnesota Vikings.

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If he could get open against those guys, Renfrow realized he could get open against anyone.

By the time the 2015 season began, Renfrow had a scholarship. Six games in, he had worked his way into the starting lineup.

“He's an inspiration to his teammates,” Swinney said. “I think he's an inspiration to a lot of people because he's just kind of an ordinary guy. Most of y'all would walk right by Hunter Renfrow and never think he's Hunter Renfrow.

“It's not always how you look on the outside,” Swinney added. “He's not the biggest, obviously. But you can take what you have and still find a way to be special in your own right. And I think that's what he's done.”

While Renfrow has been both reliable and productive for Clemson — he led the Tigers with 55 catches this year and has 14 career touchdowns — it is his performances against Alabama that have made him a star.

Two years ago — still only a few months removed from being a walk-on, remember — Renfrow led Clemson with seven catches, two of which were for touchdowns. Last year, with Clemson trailing 31-28, the ball on the Alabama 2 and time for one last play, Renfrow lined up on the right side of the field.

Deshaun Watson rolled out and found Renfrow, who caught the ball just in front of the goal line and backed into the end zone.

The catch would make the cover of Sports Illustrated. Accustomed to watching Watson be asked to sign autographs as they left practice, it’s now Renfrow who gets stopped.

“It can be overwhelming at times, but I enjoy it,” Renfrow said. “That was a great moment.”

Not that he spends much time living in it.

Despite his success against Alabama the last two years, Renfrow is quick to say that guarantees him nothing in Monday night’s Sugar Bowl. He’s not even sure if the Crimson Tide will give him extra attention, what with Deon Cain and Ray-Ray McDonald to contend with, too.

Regardless, Renfrow will do his best to make good on Saban's scouting report.

"Hopefully I’ll be a pain in the butt again,” he said.

There are far worse things to be.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback J.T. Barrett (16) celebrates after the game against the USC Trojans in the 2017 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Kevin Jairaj, USA TODAY Sports

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