Clemson RB Room Excited to Get Chance 'To Prove Ourselves' Early in 2025

A large question mark has been the starter at running back for the Clemson Tigers’ offense, but the personnel in the room is ready to prove its worth. 

The Clemson backfield has been won over by starters Will Shipley and Phil Mafah over the last two seasons, with Mafah taking the starting role during the 2024 season. With both now gone, it leaves open discussions about who the starter will be and the quality that they will provide. 

For running back David Eziomume, it’s the lack of snaps that the national media has seen, and it’s only a matter of time until people discover him. 

“I wouldn’t say underestimated,” he said on Friday. “I just feel like we haven’t gotten the chance to prove ourselves, honestly.”

Running back coach C.J. Spiller calls the battle for the top spot “a good horse race”, with every player in the room being eligible to take the position. Keith Adams Jr. was told this by Spiller, saying that it’s an essential need to continue the Tiger offense. 

Even with all the competition, there’s motivation from each other. 

“It’s all positive in the room,” Adams said. “One thing Coach Spiller tells us is that he’s going to need everybody in the room, and we can only go so far as a team if you don’t have a running back room, you can do a lot in the run game. 

Adam Randall transferred to the position from receiver, showing flashes of running with the ball in the ACC Championship game and the College Football Playoff. In a new position, his goal is to simply get better each day of fall camp. 

“The mindset for me is to take every day and be the best that I can every day, just trying to make the most of the opportunities that I can,” Randall said. “When that day comes, if it’s me out there that runs first, just make the opportunity the best that I can when I run out there.”

Jarvis Green is another candidate, catching a 25-yard touchdown against Texas in the team’s final game last season. From that play, the redshirt sophomore has more confidence than before, hoping to add bits and pieces to a room that not many know much about. 

“That touchdown against Texas gave me a little mojo,” Green said. “[It] let me know that I can be here and that I can play, and if I do the right things, maybe I can help this team out a little bit.”

Everybody can contribute with their touches, looking to “handle business when it’s all said and done”, according to Eziomume. With a few weeks remaining in the team’s fall camp, the unit will look to continue to grow until its home matchup with LSU at the end of the month. 

“I just feel like we are all growing every day, and that’s the main thing,” Eziomume said. “This is only Day 2, so we still have all the way to Aug. 30 and the rest of the season to prove ourselves, but I feel like as a unit, we are getting better.”

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