Hunter Renfrow has gone from being afraid to play Alabama to being feared by the Crimson Tide

Hunter Renfrow vividly remembers his emotions as Clemson prepared to play Alabama in the 2015 national championship game.

The former walk-on was a redshirt freshman and was set to play in the biggest game of his life. Renfrow had no Power 5 offers coming out of high school and was going to be a starting wide receiver for the Tigers against a talented Alabama secondary filled with five-star recruits.

“I was scared out of my mind,” Renfrow recalled. “I was super nervous. I remember laying in bed the night before just thinking, ‘All right, I’m never going to be back here. This is pretty cool. It’s a dream come true.’ To play against Alabama, they’re the best of the best.”

Renfrow’s nervousness did not seem to bother him the following night as he torched Alabama’s secondary, catching seven passes for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

As it turned out, that was just a warm-up for what the Myrtle Beach native would do the following year against the Crimson Tide. Renfrow hauled in 10 passes for 92 yards and a pair of scores in last year’s national title game, including the game-winner.

His touchdown catch with one second remaining is likely the biggest catch in Clemson history and delivered the Tigers their first national title since 1981.

Alabama has had the nation’s top scoring defense for each of the past two years, but it has not been able to slow Renfrow.

“He’s a smaller guy. He’s really shifty. He’s not going to outrun you, he’s not going to out-physical you, but he’s going to do his job making you miss when he catches the ball,” Alabama star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “You never really see him drop a pass, and he just does what he has to do. That’s what makes any great player great. He just does his job.”

Fitzpatrick is expected to be a top-10 pick in next year’s NFL draft, but over the past two years he has had trouble containing Renfrow.

He was matched up with Clemson’s junior receiver the majority of the game two years ago and split time with several guys on Renfrow last year.

“We’ve had up and downs. He’s had his moments, I’ve had mine,” Fitzpatrick said. “But he’s definitely challenging me. He’s a great receiver, and I consider myself a pretty good DB, so we’re both going to have our moment.”

Alabama’s other defensive backs have plenty of respect for the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Renfrow as well.

Levi Wallace, who leads Alabama with 12 pass breakups and is tied for the team lead with three interceptions, described Renfrow as “one of the best in the nation.”

Ronnie Harrison, Alabama’s leading tackler, agreed that Renfrow is tough to stop.

“He does a great job running his routes. He’s a smart guy. He has great hands. He does a good job getting open and finding creases,” Harrison said. “He’s consistent in his game and he produces every week.”

It is safe to say Alabama will be paying plenty of attention to Renfrow in Monday’s Sugar Bowl.

Renfrow is fine with that and will have no fear, as he now knows he belongs on this stage. He is hoping to continue to add to his legacy against the Crimson Tide.

“I definitely will be excited. I’m not going to be overwhelmed,” he said. “I definitely don’t think I’m going to catch them by surprise … The last two years have been good. But football is about what’s in front. Obviously, I gained confidence from having success against them, but I don’t want to think that last year’s touchdowns are going to win for us this year … Hopefully, those aren’t my best times behind me. Hopefully, they’re still in front of me.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2017 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Hunter Renfrow has gone from being afraid to play Alabama to being feared by the Crimson Tide."