On July 31, 2012, Clemson landed a commitment from Mike Williams, who would of course go on to become one of the most decorated wide receivers in school history.

But initially, the Palmetto State native planned to give his verbal pledge to the Tigers’ in-state rival on his commitment day.

A former four-star recruit from Lake Marion High School (Santee, S.C.), Williams reflected on his college commitment in a recent interview on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, sharing a crazy story about how he intended to choose South Carolina over Clemson before ultimately picking up the Tigers hat during his ceremony.

“On the day when I went to commit, I just picked the Clemson hat. I swear,” Williams said. “I told my family I’m going to South Carolina. It was like 30 minutes from the crib. I’m like, ‘Yeah, we going there,’ and then on commitment day, I grabbed the South Carolina hat, put it down and grabbed the Clemson one.

“My mom was like, ‘What are you doing?’”

As for why Williams changed his mind and went with Clemson at the last minute, the former first-team All-ACC selection explained that it had to do in large part with a conversation with one of his high school coaches.

“My high school coach had a long talk with me because he knew I was going to South Carolina, but he wanted me to go to Clemson. He had a long talk with me before. We had to delay the [commitment] and all, and he was leaning towards Clemson. So, I picked Clemson,” Williams said.

“Talking about quarterback situation, South Carolina didn’t have a real elite quarterback, like Clemson got some guys coming in. Receivers – I had to learn from Sammy (Watkins) and them. South Carolina didn’t have nobody. But that was my main thing, I’m like, ‘I go to South Carolina, I’m gonna be the star.’”

Clemson fans should certainly be thankful for that high school coach who helped sway Williams to Tiger Town, where he racked up 177 receptions for 2,727 yards and 21 touchdowns in his career.

After turning pro, Williams was taken by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Entering 2023, the 6-foot-4, 218-pounder has amassed 290 catches for 4,557 yards and 30 touchdowns in his NFL career.

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