CJ Spiller sees himself in Phil Mafah's journey to starring role

Phil Mafah showed what he can do as the feature back versus Notre Dame last season.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Thursday, July 18 2024

One of Clemson’s all-time greats sees himself in a rising star.

Among the many conversations surrounding what this team will look like in 2024, one has pertained to the running back position. The running back room’s success rests on the shoulders of Phil Mafah, who has played by committee to Will Shipley for the last three seasons.

Mafah’s workload has increased each year, coming off 179 carries for 965 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023.

Clemson’s staff and fans alike saw what life would be like with Mafah as the feature back, as Shipley missed some time with injury late in the season. Spoiler alert: Mafah will be effective.

His brightest moments came in a season-defining win against Notre Dame, where he had a career-high in carries (36) and yards (186).

Someone who has watched Mafah grow throughout his career has been running backs coach CJ Spiller.

Spiller has been the leading voice for the running back group since 2021, the same year Mafah stepped onto Clemson’s campus. The pair have grown in their respective roles, with the senior back looking to put together his best season as Spiller’s top back.

Despite Shipley drawing comparisons to Spiller’s style on the field, the new Clemson Ring of Honor inductee sees much of himself in Mafah.

“Phil is who Phil we thought would be,” said Spiller. “And I tell people all the time, and I think about it all the time, even though Shipley's and my skill sets were very similar, Mafah’s journey is pretty much identical. If you think about my time here, it was James Davis for those first three years, and then, obviously, my last year, I took the bull by the horns. He had to share the load with a great player, Shipley. Now he has the opportunity to take the bulls by the horns and lead a group, and he'd done a tremendous job.”

Mafah’s decision to return to be the leading man comes at a perfect time for the position. There isn’t much experience behind the high-caliber rusher.

After Mafah on the depth chart sits Jay Haynes (RS. FR), Keith Adams Jr. (RS SO), Jarvis Green (RS FR) and David Eziomume (FR). That group only has 23 combined carries in a Clemson uniform.

Having someone like Mafah around is valuable for the insertion of youth at the position, and Spiller has already taken advantage of that.

“He's (Mafah) one of those guys who, when he speaks, you listen because he doesn't speak often,” Spiller said. “So whenever he says something, it's important. And so those younger guys, I challenged them this spring. Take advantage of this opportunity to have a guy who's an NFL-caliber player in your room and try to learn as much as you can on and off the field. That was my challenge to those young puppies in there, and I think they'd done a great job in spring.”

Entering 2024, the Loganville, Georgia product has the opportunity to make the most of his new role. Spiller sees no reason why he can’t be successful.

Much like Spiller, Mafah had to share the spotlight with a talented back and wait for his turn to shine. We’ve seen flashes of what this period of his career could look like.

If you ask Spiller, it's time for the face of his position group to grab this moment and run with it.