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5 players Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney says have flashed in spring, led by Gideon Davidson
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- 5 players Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney says have flashed in spring, led by Gideon Davidson
CLEMSON — Clemson football is enjoying its spring break after completing the first half of spring practice.
The Tigers participated in seven practices and one scrimmage to get freshmen, cross-training and transfer players acclimated, allow position groups to get familiar with new coaches, make progress on position battles and install defensive coordinator Tom Allen 's defense. This will culminate in Clemson's spring game on April 5 (1 p.m. ET) at Memorial Stadium.
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Clemson will return to practice Saturday. Before Tigers coach Dabo Swinney 's team comes back, here are players who have shined during the first half of spring practice, according to him and Allen.
Freshman running back Gideon Davidson
Davidson, a 2025 signee, is a dynamic and explosive runner who won multiple high school accolades at Liberty Christian Academy in Virginia . He enters Clemson as one of many vying for the No. 1 running back role vacated by Phil Mafah 's departure for the NFL draft.
"As advertised, he's physically impressive, further along than I thought he would be coming in," Swinney said of Davidson. "He looks like a kid that's been in college about three years. ...Really smooth athlete, (has) a lot of confidence, fast. He's done a nice job picking things up well."
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Freshman defensive tackle Amare Adams
Adams, Clemson's top-ranked signee in 2025, possesses power, athleticism and great balance with a 6-foot-4, 285-pound frame. He caught Swinney's eye during mat drills, generating comparisons to former Clemson standout players Bryan Bresee and Dexter Lawrence .
MORE: How a family crisis helped top Clemson football signee Amare Adams find his motivation
On the field, Adams has showcased his abilities so much that Allen has high praise for his future.
"He's come in here as a freshman and does not look like a freshman and just doesn't play like a freshman," Allen said. "There are times when he does, but there's times when it's like, 'Wow, that guy is really different.'"
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Redshirt sophomore QB Christopher Vizzina
In Clemson's first spring scrimmage on March 12, Vizzina impressed Swinney. The third-year player, who worked with the starting unit, led his first drive for a touchdown, per Swinney.
Another time Vizzina was inserted in the scrimmage right before starting quarterback Cade Klubnik called for the ball on a possession. Swinney said Vizzina ended the drive with a touchdown pass.
Vizzina's growth is essential for Clemson for 2025 and beyond as he will likely be Klubnik's successor. In nine career games, Vizzina is 19-for-34 for 190 yards passing with one rushing touchdown.
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Junior defensive back Ronan Hanafin
Hanafin, 6-3 and 215 pounds, switched to safety in the beginning of the last season after spending his first season as a wide receiver. He played linebacker, safety and wide receiver in high school but started his Clemson career at wideout.
In his first spring practice at safety, Hanafin caught Allen's eye.
"He really hasn't played a lot at the safety position, but he has flashed to be like, 'Wow, this guy's got something special,'" Allen said. "He's got length and athleticism."
Allen added he had to watch special teams film on Hanafin because he played sparingly on Clemson's defense last season. Allen hopes Hanafin can play nickelback in his scheme.
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Redshirt sophomore linebacker Dee Crayton
Clemson's starting linebackers will be Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown . Behind them are inexperienced players.
Still, Dee Crayton, who recorded 19 tackles over 14 games in 2024, is one of many linebackers who is helping shape Clemson's linebacker depth.
"Arrows up by his name," Swinney said. "Dee's got some confidence because he had some really good moments last year where he stepped up and did a good job for us."
One of those confidence-building games came against Pitt last season when Woodaz was out because of injury and Brown was ejected for targeting. Crayton played a career-high 58 snaps.
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Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: 5 Clemson football players who have caught Dabo Swinney's eye in spring
