Haynes breaks loose against Bulldogs, said he stayed ready

Haynes' confidence is on the rise.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Monday, November 25 2024

CLEMSON — Jay Haynes finally broke loose, and he hopes more of the same will follow.

Haynes, Clemson’s freshman running back, tallied just five carries against The Citadel Saturday, but those five carries earned him 118 yards. That includes a 70-yard scoring romp that saw him break loose at the line of scrimmage and run to daylight as the shadows darkened in Death Valley.

Head coach Dabo Swinney said Haynes has earned the right to play and the 70-yard run was what they’ve seen in practice.

“We all have seen Jay Haynes in practice. We have seen him rip off runs like that, but he really has not had that, obviously, with [Phil] Mafah,” Swinney said. “He has had some good plays, but he has not had the chance to really get loose in the field.”

His confidence is on the rise.

“He is a kid that is gaining his confidence still,” Swinney said. “It was awesome to see. He has some juice.”

Haynes was a star in high school at Roanoke (AL) Handley High School. He recorded 251 carries for 2,669 yards and 37 touchdowns in 24 games from 2021-22, averaging an incredible 10.6 yards per carry across those two seasons. He also added 19 catches for 268 yards in that span, posted 1,888 yards on just 177 carries (10.7 avg.) and scored 27 touchdowns as a senior in 2022.

“The first time I watched this kid, and I am watching him and no one is recruiting him,” Swinney said. “What am I missing? Is there something wrong? Is there something we do not know about here? This kid can play, man. This is a good football player. He is a really good player.”

Veteran wide receiver Antonio Williams said Haynes deserves playing time, and Haynes was appreciative of the compliment.

“It means a lot. You can gain a lot of confidence from an older guy telling you that you earned it, but still, everything is the standard,” Haynes said. “So coming out at practice, you just got to do what you got to do to be able to get on the field. So, getting that from a veteran is a good booster for your confidence.”

Haynes hasn’t played much over the last month with Phil Mafah earning the bulk of the carries, but he said he stayed ready to step in.

“We have to stay motivated. Anything can happen,” Haynes said. “You are always one ankle or anything away. You take notes from it. You can learn different things. We have tablets and everything on the sidelines, so just when you aren’t playing you still have a feel right there. You are able to see everything that he does.”