Riley loves what he sees out of the running backs and tight ends

Will Shipley is a key piece of the Garrett Riley offense to come.

David Hood · Senior Writer · Thursday, March 23 2023

CLEMSON – The early buzz in spring camp has centered on new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley, the Tigers’ injuries at wide receiver, and the coaches trying to build depth on the offensive line.

However, not a lot has been said about two major strengths of the offense: running back and tight end.

Clemson returns two valuable weapons in the backfield in Will Shipley and Phil Mafah. Mafah has been impressive early in camp – he looks like he’s added muscle – and Shipley looks like a man on a mission to get better.

At tight end, the Tigers return Jake Briningstool and Sage Ennis, with redshirt freshman Josh Sapp making strides. Riley was asked which groups have stood out early in camp and he didn’t hesitate in his answer.

"Obviously, our backs. Tight end room, you have versatility there and quite a bit of athleticism in that room right now, so that's been good to see in passing and running,” he said. “Some of the versatility and variety we have at the tight end position and the running back room, those have been good signs so far."

Riley plans to use Shipley in different ways in an effort to create mismatches.

“Yeah, I mean, you can get pretty creative [with Shipley],” said Riley. “Again, it’s physically and skillset-wise, what can he handle? But, probably more important is mentally not overloading him. That’s certainly not something we’re going to do early on in spring, but he’s a guy who can mentally handle some things. He’s a guy you can do a lot with and move around, kind of get him in some different matchups.”

Head coach Dabo Swinney also likes what he sees out of the running backs.

“That’s a really good group right there. [Shipley and Mafah], I think, have a chance to be a special, special group. They both have done some really good things in their first two years, but there’s a lot more there for both of those guys, and I think you’ll see that for sure this year. We feel good about them. So, let’s see where’s Domonique [Thomas], where’s Keith Adams? We’ve got a couple more guys rolling in here this summer in Jamarius [Haynes] and Jarvis [Green], so let’s see where they are as well.”

With TCU last season, Riley’s offense didn’t feature the tight end and many wondered if Riley would take advantage of the Clemson personnel. The answer is yes.

Briningstool accumulated 25 receptions for 285 yards and four touchdowns across 14 games last season. The 6-foot-6, 230-pounder possesses the speed and athleticism to line up in the slot, as well as in line, and stretch defenses vertically.

“He is unique,” Riley said. “I’ve been around some similar types to him, but he is. He’s very athletic. He’s got a lot of range to him, and then he can really run. This is a guy that can really run, so he’s going to present some matchup problems in one-on-one situations. There’s no question about it.”

Ennis and Sapp have also stood out.

“Sage has done a nice job,” Riley said. “I know he’s been injured, but getting him back and seeing some of his physicality early on has been good. Sapp’s made a couple nice plays here in the first couple of days. He’s athletic. He weighs more than you think. He’s almost 240 or something, so he’s one of those bodies that you feel like you could probably do just about anything with. He’s strong enough to hold up in the box and he’s certainly athletic enough to be displaced or flexed out.”