Swinney excited about running backs behind Phil Mafah

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CLEMSON – Who will be the No. 2 running back behind starter Phil Mafah? A clear pecking order is starting to unfold.

Mafah is the starter, and he sits just 16 snaps shy of 1,000 for his career. Behind Mafah, the once murky picture is beginning to clear.

“Jarvis Green has been out the past couple of days. He got a little banged up, so he hadn't been able to get many reps. But man, I'm pleased with those guys,” Swinney said. “All three, Keith (Adams), Jay (Haynes) and Eazy-E (David Eziomume), I will say I'm super proud of him (Eziomume) because he had the furthest to go from where he was in the spring, and man, he just looks like the game has really slowed down for him. So I'm proud of him.

“He's just not making many mistakes, and he's playing faster because he's more confident in what he's doing.”

Adams enters 2024 with 14 career carries for 81 yards in 38 snaps over nine games, and he’s a punishing runner nicknamed “Hammerhead” by Clemson’s coaching staff.

“Keith, I just kind of put him in his own category,” Swinney said. “He's just different, but he just makes plays. He makes plays, and he's a tough kid. He's more athletic than you think. He's strong as an ox, and his confidence is really, really high.”

Hayes enters 2024 having recorded 35 yards and a touchdown on six rushing attempts as well as 20 yards and a touchdown on two receptions in 14 snaps over three games. He redshirted last season and has had issues staying healthy.

“Jay Haynes, you just notice him every day, so it's been good to see him out there,” Swinney said. “He flashed last year. There were things I saw last year that we all saw that you went okay to the point that we were going to play him. And then he was out and then he wasn't able to go in the spring.

“So it's been encouraging to kind of see what I thought I saw last year. You start to doubt yourself...You don't see a guy for a while. And so, it's been encouraging to see exactly what I thought I saw. But I'd say the same thing about him as Eziomume, he just looks more confident. He just looks more sure of himself. So it's good. It's a good group, and Mafah’s leading the way. It'll be fun to watch them compete all through camp. It'll get fun once we start doing some live work, and we'll see how it all shakes out.”

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