Swinney: ‘I Really Think He Will Be One of the Great College Football Stories of the Year’
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Clemson football held its annual Media Day on campus Tuesday, and while the Tigers enter the 2025 season with national championship expectations, one key question still lingers for college football analysts: Who will carry the load at running back?
With former standout Phil Mafah now a Dallas Cowboy, the Tigers must find a new lead horse in the backfield. Mafah, the program’s workhorse last season, powered through for 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns on 216 carries — numbers made all the more impressive considering he battled a shoulder injury late in the year. His absence leaves a production void and no clear frontrunner.
Asked about the position group, running backs coach C.J. Spiller — a Clemson legend and huge Kentucky Derby fan — offered more metaphor than clarity.
“Honestly, I wouldn't say they're just out there running like Secretariat right now,” noted Spiller, referencing the 1973 Derby and Triple Crown winner. “I think it's a good horse race right now. The good thing is that we're gonna get ready to start fall camp. So, they're getting ready to walk back up to the stalls, and we're gonna get ready to shoot that gun. We'll see what happens. We'll see how they run their race."
Among those expected to vie for the top spot, especially according to outside media outlets, is Gideon Davidson, the heralded true freshman and consensus Top 5 national running back. At 6-foot, 200 pounds, Davidson wears the same No. 9 worn by Clemson and ACC legend Travis Etienne.
“If he does the things that he needs to do, he’ll have an opportunity to play,” Spiller said. “That’s the beauty about Gideon — he understands what he did in high school, that was high school. And he’ll be the first to tell you, 'I haven’t done anything yet.
"He had a great spring, and I know he had an awesome summer. So he's prepared," added Spiller. "Physically, he looks awesome, and he can go play anything. But it's more than just being physically ready. You have to be mentally ready. But if he can help us, we will use him.”'
If Davidson is the hot name, the most intriguing is senior Adam Randall. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound former wide receiver has made the transition to running back and turned in a surprise performance in Clemson’s playoff loss to Texas, leading the team with 44 rushing yards on just four carries, including a 41-yard burst.
Randall spent the entire spring with the running back unit and appears to be earning the trust of Spiller.
“At the running back position, you have to be patient, because you want to let your offensive line do what they do,” Spiller explained. “So that was probably a big issue for me and him this spring. And so he got better and better as the spring went on with that. He was a great learner. He wanted to learn the position. That’s always a plus.”
While Spiller’s answers were measured when discussing the running backs, head coach Dabo Swinney was far more effusive, especially when it came to Randall’s potential.
“Adam is the wild card. He's the one senior in the room," Swinney said. “And again, I'm not always right, but sometimes I am. I really think he will be one of the great college football stories of the year. I really believe that. I really believe in Adam Randall," he continued. "I think he's reshaping his career, and I think he's going to be a lot of fun to coach. You just pray and hope he can stay healthy, because I think if he does, you're going to see a lot of what we see. You can do a lot with him. He checks a lot of boxes for us, but he's got to go do it."
For a team with title aspirations, the stakes are high. The path to the College Football Playoff — and possibly another national title — could depend on whether one of these backs emerges from the pack or whether Clemson can win by committee.
Either way, the race starts this fall.
