Last season, the Clemson Tigers ' running back room was one of the most interesting position groups on the team.
It started with former wideout Adam Randall , who made a remarkable transition to running back and had such a strong year that he was ultimately selected in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Behind him were talented true freshman Gideon Davidson , third-year backs Jay Haynes and Jarvis Green , and second-year David Eziomume.
Now with Randall gone, Davidson - who ran for 260 yards last season - looks to take over the starting role heading into 2026, with speedy SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr. - who totaled 659 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns as a backup in 2025 - not far behind.
While those two continue to stand out and will likely be the backfield tandem for Clemson entering this season, what does head coach Dabo Swinney hope to see from the rest of the group that the Tigers retained?
"I'm hoping to see what I believe, and that is I believe we got a better running back room than what people think or know," he began. "And I'm hoping to see that what I believe is accurate, and I'm going to be the first one to know because I'm gonna be at every practice. So that's what I'm hoping to see."
The 18-year head coach even went as far as to say that if Haynes and Green were healthy last year, it's more likely than not that the Tigers wouldn't even have this many weapons at their service.
"Honestly, again, I would say in today's world, if Jay [Haynes] and Jarvis [Green] had been healthy all last year, we probably don't have all five of these dudes," Swinney commented. "Just being honest, you know, but they were out all year. But now they're back and healthy, and we've added."
However, the claim isn't all that crazy considering the trajectory both backs were on heading into last season.
While neither saw much playing time in 2023, the two had solid sophomore campaigns in 2024. As a backup to Phil Mafah , Haynes totaled 295 yards and three touchdowns while averaging nearly 7 yards per carry; meanwhile, Green scored his first career touchdown against the Texas Longhorns in the first-round of the 2024 College Football Playoff.
Unfortunately, their hopes were cut short when Haynes tore his ACL against SMU in the 2024 ACC Championship, and Green sustained a season-ending foot injury later in fall camp.
Now, as we draw closer to the 2026 season, the entire group is healthy and ready to show opponents that it all starts in the trenches, especially with offensive coordinator Chad Morris back .
Swinney, especially, is excited to see what the competitive room can do and truly believes that all five backfield threats will be difference-makers on the field come gameday.
"It's going to be fun, a lot of fun to watch that group," he finished. "It's going to be a competitive group. I think all those guys at some point - I really do, I'm not saying this - I really believe at some point, you know, all of those guys will make a difference for us this year."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/clemson as Why Dabo Swinney Believes Clemson's Running Back Room Is Better Than People Think .
