Hunter Renfrow Returns to NFL With Familiar Jersey Number, Faces Former QB Trevor Lawrence Week 1

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Lentz | Last updated May 19, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Hunter Renfrow is back where he belongs: on an NFL roster, wearing the number Tiger fans know and love.

The former Clemson legend and fan favorite has officially been assigned jersey No. 13 by the Carolina Panthers, marking his return to professional football after sitting out the 2024 season while battling ulcerative colitis. Renfrow signed a one-year deal with Carolina on April 27, and his return sets up a high-profile Week 1 reunion.

The Panthers will kick off the 2025 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars—meaning Renfrow will face off with his former Clemson teammate and quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, on Sept. 7 in Jacksonville.

A Resilient Comeback

Renfrow’s journey back to the field hasn’t been easy. In an interview with Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt, the Pro Bowl wideout revealed that ulcerative colitis sidelined him for the 2024 season, leading to severe symptoms including extreme weight loss and recurring high fevers.

“It kicked my butt pretty good,” Renfrow said. “I went down to 150 pounds. I had like seven straight days of 103-degree fevers. It’s tough to play when you’re not feeling great.”

Now healthy and focused, Renfrow brings veteran experience and reliability to a Panthers team searching for identity in its receiver room.

A fifth-round pick in 2019, Renfrow spent five seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, compiling 269 catches for 2,884 yards and 17 touchdowns in 73 games. His 2021 Pro Bowl season saw him emerge as one of the NFL’s most dependable slot receivers.

But it was at Clemson where Renfrow made his name—most memorably hauling in the game-winning touchdown with one second left in the 2017 national title game against Alabama. That moment sealed Clemson’s first national title since 1981 and etched Renfrow’s name into program lore.

He finished his Clemson career with 186 receptions for 2,133 yards and 15 touchdowns, winning two national championships (2016, 2018) under head coach Dabo Swinney.

Reunion with Trevor Lawrence Looms

Fittingly, Renfrow’s first regular-season game back will be against Lawrence, who quarterbacked Clemson to its second national title of the Dabo Swinney era in 2018. The two shared the field during Renfrow’s senior campaign, a season that ended with a dominant 44-16 win over Alabama in the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Now they’ll meet again—this time as professionals on opposite sidelines—when the Panthers travel to Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff on Sept. 7, televised on FOX.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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