via Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Hunter Renfrow, a former NFL wide receiver who was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021, is now working in the recycling industry. Renfrow is now working at ESS Industrial — BBA, Metal Recycling, Heavy Industrial Rigging, Equipment Buyer, which is owned by a member of his family.
Hunter Renfrow was taken by the then-Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft after winning two National Championships as a wide receiver at Clemson University.
Despite his solid production in the NFL, inlcuding a Pro Bowl selection in 2021, Renfrow now appears to be out of the National Football League and working for Kyle Renfrow (who is not his father — his father is named Tim Renfrow) at ESS Industrial.
The realization that Renfrow is now working in the recycling industry came after the South Carolina Department of Commerce posted about the 29-year-old former Pro Bowler on LinkedIn.
“The recycling industry provides careers and livelihoods for many South Carolinians — creating an economic impact as valuable as its environmental impact. These jobs support thriving families and communities, including recycling ambassador Hunter Renfrow with ESS Industrial,” they wrote on the social networking site.
The LinkedIn post appears to include a quote from Renfrow that extolls the virtues of recycling, both as a practice and as an industry:
“When we recycle, we’re not just helping the environment — we’re just supporting the hardworking families like ours at ESS Industrial. Our company is proud to be part of South Carolina’s small business community, and by recycling, we can help it grow, create more jobs, and thrive.”
After his new career path went viral, Renfrow hopped on social media to reveal that he’s been training to make an NFL comeback.
“Just when I thought about making a comeback I get hit with this bombshell…… guess I shouldn’t have started working out again 2 months ago lol,” he tweeted.
His NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders got off to a solid start, as he posted at least 600 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons before catching 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021, which resulted in him being named to the Pro Bowl.
After his Pro Bowl campaign in 2021, however, Renfrow was never able to recapture that form and his career fell off a cliff — he started in just one game in 2022 due to injury, and in 2023, while appeareing in 17 games, he started in just three and had 25 catches for 255 yards and no touchdowns.