Ol' Reliable: Hunter Renfrow is ready to play wherever needed, including quarterback
Clemson’s coaching staff could only hold their breath.
After backup quarterback Chase Brice’s miraculous pick up on fourth down during his game-winning drive on Saturday, he immediately tucked the ball and ran off a read option the next play.
There was so much adrenaline at the moment and Brice wanted to get as many yards as he could. Instead of sliding or getting out of bounds, Brice bullied forward with the risk of taking a hit.
One player watching the play transpire wide-eyed had to have been wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. The reality of that moment was that Clemson was one play and injury away from having Renfrow come in as the team’s third-string quarterback and save the day.
"It wasn't funny when Trevor went down. But it was like all the stars were aligning," Renfrow said Tuesday. "I wouldn't have had to do much. I would have just had to hand the ball off to Travis (Etienne) and it might have worked out. Who knows?
Swinney jokingly - or not so much - told Renfrow during Clemson’s 27-23 win over Syracuse that he better be ready if the Brice were to go down. If we were guessing Renfrow’s reaction, he probably didn't blink.
Because that’s what the former walk-on receiver has become to this Clemson program. As sure-handed as he is in the biggest moments, he’s a versatile utility player wherever he’s needed.
Take this story for example:
Swinney told the team on Monday afternoon (amidst all the quarterback drama) that cornerback Mark Fields wasn’t going to be playing that week leaving that position thinner. So at practice, co-offensive coordinator approached Renfrow at the beginning of practice during warmups.
Scott asked his receiver, “if we need you, will you be ready?” And Renfrow responded by saying he’ll have to work on his technique at cornerback, but Scott quickly reminded him that he was talking about quarterback, not cornerback.
“That’s just who he is,” Scott said with a laugh. “He’s like, ‘I can go play wherever.’ He has that feeling… That’s all he played until he got here. He didn’t play one snap of receiver his entire high school career. He likes the opportunity and the challenge.”
Renfrow played quarterback, not receiver, during his high school days so already has a feel for the position. But it goes beyond the quarterback position with this player who seems like he’s been at Clemson since 2010.
Here’s the breakdown of where he currently stands on the roster at certain positions:
First-string receiver.
Second-team punt returner.
Third-team punter.
Third-team quarterback.
Fourth-string cornerback?
Let us know if we’re missing anything.
"My baseball coach in high school would always talk about the best ability in life is availability. Just being available for whatever happens," Renfrow said. "Keeping those door open. For me, just able to help the team any way I can."
What Renfrow has meant to Clemson’s program is monumental. His legend continues to grow every time he touches the field. Every time you look up, he's making a gigantic play or getting the ball on third down even if the defense knows it's coming. You’d be more surprised if he dropped a ball than when he makes incredible grabs like the 27-yard catch in the third quarter on Saturday.
There’s no doubt that Renfrow’s all-time memory as a part of Clemson’s offense will be the national-championship winning catch in 2016. He’s got plenty of moments to choose from.
But the legacy of Renfrow could continue to go stronger given Lawrence is unable to go at Wake Forest and something were to happen to Brice.
Swinney told us last week that they installed a “Renfrow package” into the offense. Not a ton of exotic stuff, but “enough to win the game with” if it ever came down to that. Freshman quarterback Ben Batson is coming off a finger injury and doesn’t have enough of a grasp of the offense yet to go into a game situation.
But Renfrow has been around seemingly forever, so who could know Clemson’s playbook better than him?
“He has a great understanding of what we’re doing from a wide receiver perspective so he can spend more time in the quarterback meetings, learning some of those calls,” Scott said. “They’ll get some opportunities in practice with the team, live reps and all those types of things and kind of see where we are.”
To think, in January Clemson had one of the best quarterback rooms in the country. To now be a couple plays away from Renfrow being the quarterback of undefeated Clemson five weeks into the season is mindblowing.
But of course, Renfrow can play quarterback if needed. If the team needed a painter, we bet he’d be Pablo Picasso.
As Scott said earlier, that’s just who Renfrow is - a player who is as reliable as they come. He’ll do anything - or play any position - to help his team get the job done. Whether he’ll get work at any other position besides receiver remains to be seen. But man, wouldn’t it be fun to watch him in practice go up against that defense?
"I'm just appreciating my senior season. Whatever comes after, will come after," Renfrow said. "But if they say, 'go play quarterback, go play DB, go punt,' it doesn't matter to me. Just be able to help the team and enjoy the moment."
We thought back to the time Swinney awarded the walk-on Renfrow with a scholarship during a team outing at Lake Keowee in 2015.
“Ol’ Hunter is a great example of don’t judge a book by its cover, right? Because he damn sure don’t look like a football player,” Swinney said. “But this old boy can ball and I think he’s earned everybody’s respect in this room.”
Swinney also said something to his team that still could very much resonate today. Punter Andy Teasdall also got a scholarship that day and Swinney remembered how he wandered onto the practice field for a tryout in the spring.
“He was preparing for an opportunity that he didn’t know he would ever get,” Swinney added. “Isn’t that one of the lessons we talk about all the time? Prepare for your opportunity even if it never comes.”
That’s what walk-ons do. That’s what the great players do. Renfrow has kept his head down and certainly made the most of what has been a storybook career so far.
Now, he's back to preparing for his opportunity - even if it never comes. The only difference is that he’s preparing to play quarterback.
Or punt returner. Or punter. Or cornerback. Or whatever.
That’s what makes him so reliable.