Top Position Battles Heading into Clemson Fall Camp

The Clemson Tigers open fall camp on Thursday, looking to get its final offseason prep in before the 2025 season.

Head coach Dabo Swinney will be looking to find his starting squad early, with a home matchup against the LSU Tigers kicking off in almost a month. Because of this, position battles will arise from the group on both sides of the ball.

The end of August is nearing, and with decisions to be made at certain positions, Clemson Tigers on SI identifies four position battles to watch heading into Clemson's fall camp.

Running Back

The top skill position to watch will be at running back following the departure of starter Phil Mafah. It’s a wide open room, though there are top candidates to take the spot of tailback. 

However, running backs coach CJ Spiller was quick to put down an early starter, saying “they all have done a great job.”

True freshman Gideon Davidson has received the buzz to take the starting spot, being the No. 2-ranked running back in the class of 2025, according to On3. Though not seeing a snap yet, it could lead to Spiller deciding to go with a more experienced player, then easing the freshman into a bigger role throughout the season. 

Receiver-turned-back Adam Randall has received attention from his strong runs in the postseason:; a career-long 41-yard kick return in the ACC Championship game and a 41-yard burst against Texas in the College Football Playoff. Whether it’s catching out of the backfield or strong bursts, the senior is another candidate. 

Jay Haynes is returning from a torn ACL, but is an option, while David Eziomume, Keith Adams Jr. and Jarvis Green have all shown flashes of promise over their careers and could be valuable for offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. 

Tight End

A vacant spot remains after Jake Briningstool left for the NFL Draft after being out of eligibility. His successor looks to be junior Olsen Patt-Henry, but the competition for the top spot is not over just yet.

Patt-Henry finished with nine receptions for 121 yards and three touchdowns, being more of a run blocking tight end than a pass catching one. However, a shoulder injury saw him sit out a chunk of the offseason, but he’s “really eager to get back on the field”, according to tight end coach Kyle Richardson. 

Redshirt freshman Christian Bentancur was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, being ranked the No. 5-ranked tight end in the class of 2024, according to On3. Richardson is “really excited to see what it looks like”, regarding his growth from his first and second year, and could see snaps at the starting position with a good camp. 

Redshirt junior Josh Sapp has seen first team snaps before, recording two touchdowns in his 28 appearances with the Tigers. The room also has basketball-turned tight end Ian Schieffelin but has a lot of work to do if he wants to see extensive snaps with the team. 

Safety 

The Tigers had another veteran departure in RJ Mickens, allowing for another open position for competition with a room full of young talent. 

Khalil Barnes is the no-brainer, starting 21 games over the last two seasons as a Tiger. The question will be who plays alongside him, which looks to be one of the trio of Ronan Hanafin, Kylon Griffin and Ricardo Jones.

Hanafin played receiver for two seasons before switching to safety, recording 14 tackles and a pass breakup. Griffin is the most experienced in the group, totaling 36 tackles and three interceptions across two seasons. Jones was the 12th best safety in the class of 2024, according to Rivals, and recorded a sack and an interception in his first season. 

Punter

Jack Smith is the only punter on scholarship following the departure of Aidan Swanson, who was the starter for three seasons, but the battle is far from over. 

Smith is fighting walk-on Jack McClune for the position, as well as kickoff specialist Robert Gunn III, who’s looking for a bigger role on the special teams unit. 

While Swinney said that Smith was the leader in the spring for the position, there is still fall camp to decide who will take the important special teams position.

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