Where Clemson stands at running back heading into 2025

Eziomume was able to redshirt in 2024.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Monday, December 30 2024

Round and round she goes, where she stops nobody knows.

That phrase echoes through my tired brain when thinking about who starts at running back for the Tigers next season. The Clemson offense is loaded with talent and experience in 2025, with four starting offensive linemen returning along with quarterback Cade Klubnik and a bevy of talented receivers.

But there are jobs open where seniors have departed, at left guard (Marcus Tate), tight end (Jake Briningstool), and running back (Phil Mafah). We will take a way too early look at the running back spot.

The Tigers ran Mafah to the tune of 216 carries in 2024, with Klubnik trailing that number with 119 carries. The other running backs – all of them – combined for 97 carries. Jay Haynes led that group with 43 rushes (for 295 yards, 6.86 YPC) but after combining for 19 carries in a three-game stretch that included App St., NC State, and Stanford, he had just 17 carries over the next eight games (and that included seven against Virginia after the Tigers were ahead).

Haynes tallied five carries against SMU in the ACC Championship Game but suffered torn knee ligaments on the second half's opening kickoff. He will more than likely miss spring practice, and whether he’s fully healthy for August camp is up to him and how hard he attacks his rehab.

Keith Adams Jr. had 30 carries for 122 yards on the year. After earning 11 rushes against Virginia and Wake Forest, he carried it just five times over the next six games and all of those carries were in the win over The Citadel.

Freshman David Eziomume was able to redshirt and carried the ball 10 times for 62 yards. Jarvis Green was next with nine carries for 53 yards, but there were five games in which he didn’t play and five others where he didn’t register a carry.

Adam Randall is the intriguing wild card here. The former wide receiver was moved to running back during practice for the College Football Playoff, and had four carries for 44 yards against Texas.

“He did some good stuff, and he is a natural,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “It is something we will grow this spring, and we’ve talked about transitioning him there and rebranding him a little bit. We will see how that works out for him.”

Swinney also noted Randall’s large frame and quickness. They look forward to the opportunity to really develop what could be a fresh start for him. Given his depleted time in the room, the move may prevent a shift to the portal, and a new position would provide excitement for him entering the offseason.

Swinney wasn’t the only one to sing Randall’s praises at the position, as Garrett Riley had the chance to discuss the move.

Riley felt Randall could give the room a much-needed spark; without Haynes or Mafah, they felt the move could add some juice.

“We went into the week leading up to the game trying it out,” Riley said. "We felt he could give us a spark and give us something. I’m proud of Adam, and he gave us a big-time run, and we asked him to do a lot for us in a short time, and he handled it well.”

Freshman Gideon Davidson arrived for a few practices and the spring will be huge for his development. Davidson was recently named the 3A Player of the Year in the state of Virginia. Davidson rushed for 2,165 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry as he helped guide Liberty Christian Academy to a second straight state championship.

Davidson hit the 100-yard mark 10 times on the year and averaged 166.5 yards per contest and scored 34 rushing touchdowns. He added another 160 receiving yards and three more touchdowns. He also tallied six kickoff returns and averaged 41 yards per return.

During practice for the Playoff, Swinney was asked if he had considered moving a player from another position to running back (like Randall), and he immediately laughed and said the media must have lost faith in Adams, Eziomume, Haynes, and Green. Of course, it wasn’t the media that ran Mafah with a bad shoulder while those players sat on the sidelines, and one has to wonder how much trust the coaches have in those players.

I imagine Eziomume, Randall, and Gideon will all receive long looks during the spring (at this point, you kind of know what you have in Adams and Green).

Projected 2025 Clemson RB group (from current scholarship group)

Sr. - Adam Randall; Jr. - Keith Adams Jr.; So. - Jarvis Green, Jay Haynes; RS Fr. - David Eziomume; Fr. - Gideon Davidson, Marquise Henderson (tabbed by Clemson as an "all-purpose athlete")

Just the beginning for @JAYHaynes 😤

Jay Haynes recorded his first 100-yard rushing game as he recorded 186 yards and 2 TDs on 37 carries tonight @ClemsonFB | @ClemsonTigers | #GoTigers | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/eJhe85nrAT
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) November 24, 2024