Young Clemson RB group behind Phil Mafah is drawing high praise

Keith Adams Jr. is set to get his chance to shine.

by Ariana Pensy - Correspondent - Fri Mar 08 07:00:02 GMT-04:00 2024

CLEMSON - With Will Shipley off to the NFL, senior running back Phil Mafah takes over as the lead back, but there are plenty of other promising running backs for the Tigers, giving them depth at the position.

Mafah had a solid 2023 season, with his breakout game against Notre Dame, which saw him rush for 186 yards and average 5.2 yards per attempt. He also had a strong game in the Gator Bowl against Kentucky, with 6.5 yards per attempt and a career-high four rushing touchdowns. So far this spring, he is picking up where he left off, breaking off a long run on Wednesday.

Another back who is expected to have a bigger role than last season is redshirt sophomore Keith Adams Jr., who appeared in seven games last season. He saw the most action against Charleston Southern when he had five attempts, rushing for 32 yards and a long of 13 yards. Head coach Dabo Swinney is excited about what he sees from Adams and his unique running ability.

“He’s improving every day. He’s just different. He’s different than all those other guys,” Swinney said. “You look at him, and you think he’s truly a sledgehammer, just thick and powerful. He’s all of that, but he’s got a little better change of direction that you think. This kid can stick a foot in the ground and he’s really, really improved just with his vision and in his understanding of everything we’re doing in the run game. So, I’m really proud of him. He’s a handful. He’s kind of unique, but he’s a handful. He’s a tough dude to tackle. Keith runs the ball like an old-school fullback that can really, really run. He’s got tailback talent, but he’s got that fullback mentality … Hammerhead, he’s low.

“What we’re trying to get him to do is be him, be who he is and don’t worry about anything else because there’ll be a role for him.”

After recording over 6,000 yards in high school, redshirt freshman back Jarvis Green only had four yards in three attempts last season. However, even with the strength and depth at the running back position, he should see more action in the upcoming season, particularly given his performance this spring.

“Jarvis, he’s a natural. He’s just a natural running back. Everything he does just comes fluid to him, like he catches the ball naturally. He’s not the biggest guy, but he plays big,” Swinney said. “He’s a really good football player, and he’s positioned himself to help us.”

Redshirt freshman running back Jay Haynes, who saw minimal action last season, tweaked his hand during practice and has not been able to return thus far. However, he is expected to have a bigger role in the run game in this coming season.

True freshman David Eziomume adds to the depth at running back. Coming out of high school, Rivals ranked him as the fifth-best running back in the nation and No. 32 overall in Georgia. Despite an injury cutting his senior year short, he has shown a lot of promise already.

“He’s what we hoped he’d be. He’s a little erratic right now, I’d say not as polished,” Swinney said. “But he’s wide open and fast, he’s a strong kid, he’s tough and physical. He’s everything we hoped he’d be, and I love how he’s taken to the coaching.”