Renfrow's 'Orange Crush' Among ESPN's Top 25 Plays Since 2000

Renfrow's touchdown, a two-yarder from Deshaun Watson, clinched the Tigers' second national championship in program history.

At 12:23 am on January 10, 2017, Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) catches the winning touchdown during the fourth quarter of the National Championship game on Monday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Student applications increased in the next year. 2017 Clemson Growth Football National Champions | Ken Ruinard / staff

Former Clemson Tigers receiver Hunter Renfrow's game-winning touchdown in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship remains as one of the greatest plays in college football history.

The score, a two-yard catch with one second left against reigning champions Alabama, clinched the Tigers' first title since 1981, second title in school history and would eventually be the first of two titles in the three-year span.

On Tuesday, ESPN rated the score, affectionally remembered as "Orange Crush," as the 13th-best play in college football since 2000.

On This Date: Deshaun Watson found Hunter Renfrow to give @ClemsonFB the title 🏆 pic.twitter.com/G62Vmh0Lqp

— ESPN (@espn) January 9, 2019

The game itself will be remembered as one of the best in the four-team era of the CFP and the second of four matchups between the Tigers and Crimson Tide in a four-year span. A back-and-forth battle, the Tigers scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to get revenge over Alabama, which took a 10-point lead into the final quarter had beaten Clemson in the title game a year prior.

After a rushing touchdown by Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts with 2:07 left, Clemson went on a nine-play, 68-yard drive highlighted by a 24-yard pass from Deshaun Watson to Mike Williams to put the Tigers in Alabama territory and a 17-yard pass from Watson to Jordan Leggett to put Clemson in the redzone.

A pass interference on the Crimson Tide put the Tigers on the two-yard line, and a rollout from Watson plus a pick-play from Artavis Scott left Renfrow wide-open for the score.

Renfrow, a former walk-on, caught a game-high 10 passes for 92 yards and two scores in the win.

"Growing up a Clemson fan, I just dreamed about being able to do that one day and doing it for Clemson," he said in an appearance on the Harvester Sports Podcast in 2021. "So, starting out as a walk-on and being on scout team and playing against those guys every day really gave me confidence to be able to go out there and do that. So, whenever we won the national championship in 2016 and I was a part of it, I can remember after the game, just standing there and basically in awe. I just looked around and was just like, ‘This is unbelievable. This is a dream come true.’ This is what you tell people about, achieving your dreams and stuff like that. So, it was unbelievable for me.”

Since leaving Clemson, Renfrow is entering his sixth year in the NFL after being a free agent for all of 2024 after a five-year stint with the Raiders. He recorded 269 catches for 2,884 yards and 17 touchdowns in his stint with the franchise.

He now enters his first season with the Carolina Panthers, which signed him to a one-year, $1.22 million deal.