Socastee product Renfrow fulfills plan of gaining scholarship at Clemson

When Hunter Renfrow committed to Clemson in late January of 2014, he did so with the big picture in mind.

Scholarship offers to smaller schools would take care of his tuition and housing, but he said the degree from a nationally renowned university would mean more in the long run. Renfrow’s internal and family debate paid off.

And now his schooling will be, too.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney announced Saturday that the former Socastee star would be moved from walk-on status to scholarship football player beginning immediately.

Clemson has a long-standing policy that doesn’t permit player interviews until after they’ve participated in a game. Hunter Renfrow’s father, Braves Athletics Director Tim Renfrow, said while thoughts of a scholarship were in play, it happened faster than the family expected.

“He could have gone to some other schools,” Tim Renfrow said. “He’s worked hard. Now he’s got to continue to work. We’re surprised it’s happened this quick.

“They recruit big-time athletes. This has always been a challenge. Hunter wanted to prove to them he could play.”

Hunter Renfrow created opportunities for himself coming out of high school. Before narrowing his final two choices to Clemson and Appalachian State – which is transitioning to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision – he had received scholarship offers from several smaller Division I programs in football. Additionally, he had a baseball offer from Liberty.

On the football field, Renfrow combined for 5,305 all-purpose yards and 61 touchdowns in three seasons. He led the team to five playoff victories and a 27-5 record as the team’s starting quarterback, a spot he took over midway through the 2010 season.

As a senior, he was named to the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas roster. The state’s coaches also named him the Class AAA Lower State Back of the Year. He was a two-time honoree of The Sun News’ Toast of the Coast Offensive Player of the Year and earned Toast of the Coast honors twice in baseball.

His skill set has been nearly as diverse for the Clemson football team. He’s worked out at receiver, returning kicks and even punting.

More than likely, that will increase his possibilities of getting on the field as early as this year.

“We’ll have to put a few more miles on the car,” Tim Renfrow said.

This story was originally published August 17, 2015 at 4:03 PM with the headline "Socastee product Renfrow fulfills plan of gaining scholarship at Clemson."