Clemson signee analysis: RB Gideon Davidson

Gideon Davidson joins his HS teammate Easton Ware on the 2025 Tigers roster.

Brandon Rink - Assoc. Editor / Staff Writer - Wednesday, December 04 2024

Gideon Davidson - Running Back
TigerNet: (4.53)

Height: 6-0 Weight: 193 Hometown: Lynchburg, VA (Liberty Christian Academy HS) Class: 2025

ESPN:

#59 Overall, #3 RB, #1 VA

Rivals:

#80 Overall, #2 RB, #1 VA

24/7:

#121 Overall, #5 RB, #3 VA

One of Clemson’s longest-standing, high-profile commits has signed.

More on Lynchburg (Va.) running back Gideon Davidson…

Signee analysis: Gideon Davidson - 4-star RB - Lynchburg, Virginia

Committed since: 6/14/23.

Listed size: 6-0 193

Mid-year enrollee

Notable: Davidson is regarded as a unanimous 4-star prospect and as high as the No. 1 prospect out of Virginia. He is ranked as high as the No. 62 overall prospect by ESPN. Davidson averaged 159.9 rushing yards per game with seven total touchdowns in his first ten games as a senior, accounting for 201.3 all-purpose yards a game and 29 touchdowns. He was named the MaxPreps national junior of the year after rushing for 2,752 yards and 43 scores in 2023. His offers up to a Clemson commitment included Auburn, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Virginia, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. Teammate of longtime 4-star Clemson offensive tackle commit Easton Ware.

Quotable: “Crafty runner with outstanding vision and spatial awareness. Measured at 5-foot-11..25, 202 pounds at the On3 Elite Series prior to his senior season…Shows advanced vision. Sets up his blocks and plays with spectacular timing with his offensive line. Patient and unhurried when picking his way through confined areas. Sifts through traffic as a runner between the tackles. A very efficient runner with little wasted movement, always seeking to get north-south. Sets up defenders in space and understands angles. Uses his off hand to disarm tackle attempts. Solid speed, but doesn’t have an overwhelming initial burst or top gear. Doesn’t play good competition and will almost always win the footrace once in the open field, adding to his gaudy stats. A bit older for the cycle, turning 18 years-old in May of his junior year. Will need to continue developing physically and athletically, but has the requisite skill set to be a productive ball carrier at the Power 4 level.” - On3 analysis on Davidson.

Clemson bio

Explosive national award-winner who was highly productive on Virginia state title teams

In High School: Was MaxPreps’ 2023 National Junior of the Year, an award won previously by Trevor Lawrence in 2016 … consensus national top 65 player and unanimous four-star prospect regarded as one of the top running backs in the nation … ranked by ESPN as the No. 62 overall player in the nation … ESPN also ranked him as the nation’s third-best running back and as the top player in Virginia … ranked by Rivals as the nation’s No. 64 overall player, the No. 2 running back and the top overall player in Virginia … ranked by On3 as the No. 65 player in the nation, as its second-best running back and as the second-best player in Virginia … ranked No. 107 overall player by 247Sports and as its third-best running back and third-best player in Virginia … helped Liberty Christian to an undefeated season as of Early Signing Day … signed with Clemson with his senior season still underway having accrued 7,438 rushing yards on 701 career carries, a 10.53-yard average, with 118 rushing touchdowns … also credited with 606 receiving yards and eight scores on 43 career catches, giving him 8,044 yards from scrimmage … scored three career kickoff return touchdowns and one punt return touchdown for 132 total touchdowns … reached 2,000 rushing yards in 2024 for the second straight season … named all-district and all-region all four years of his prep career and was selected as all-state as a sophomore and junior (with senior season teams still pending) … credited prior to Early Signing Day with 2,054 rushing yards on 223 attempts for a 9.2-yard average in 2024 with 34 rushing touchdowns … has also contributed 95 tackles and two interceptions on defense … his standout games in 2024 included rushing for 289 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries vs. Salem, posting 227 rushing yards vs. Heritage, collecting 245 rushing yards and five touchdowns plus a career-high 18 tackles vs. Jefferson Forest, and registering a standout all-purpose game against Amherst County when he had 179 rushing yards, 38 receiving yards, 132 kickoff return yards and a 76-yard interception return for a touchdown for 425 all-purpose yards … had 2,795 yards on 217 carries for an average of 12.9 yards per carry as a junior in 2023, finishing as the runner-up for Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia … averaged 194 yards per game with 12 games of 100-plus rushing yards and seven of 200-plus rushing yards (including a long run of 90 yards) that year … scored 43 rushing touchdowns and added two receiving for 45 total in 2023 … ranked 21st in the nation in rushing yards and 17th in points scored in 2023 … helped Liberty Christian win the Class 3 VHSL State Championship in 2023, as they never trailed the entire season … recorded 266 rushing yards and three scores on 22 carries and added two interceptions and seven tackles on defense in the state championship game vs. Lafayette …recorded 16 carries for career-high 359 rushing yards and six touchdowns vs. Turner Ashby … added 273 yards and six touchdowns on 12 carries vs. Amherst County … added 58 tackles and three interceptions on defense in 2023 … first-team all-state on both sides of the ball in 2023 … posted 1,392 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns on 149 attempts as a sophomore in 2022 … rushed for 1,197 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman … coached at Liberty Christian by Frank Rocco … committed to Clemson on June 14, 2023.

Personal: Born May 16, 2006 in Ghana … expected to enroll at Clemson in January 2025 … high school teammate of Clemson signee Easton Ware, marking the sixth time in an eight-year span that Clemson signed at least one pair of high school teammates in a recruiting class.