A true freshman the secret to life after Phil Mafah? Fox Sport thinks so

USA Today

18-06-2025

A true freshman the secret to life after Phil Mafah? Fox Sport thinks so
The Tigers are returning the most production of any team in college football. But the one area where Clemson suffered the most after the 2024-25 season is at the running back position.
Phil Mafah was a certified dog at tailback, but now he's a Dallas Cowboy after being selected 239th overall in the seventh round in the 2025 NFL draft. Behind Mafah's team-leading 1,115 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, only quarterback Cade Klubnik rushed for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. So, who can Dabo Swinney find to replace Mafah?
Clemson football in 2025- Who replaces Phil Mafah?
Most likely, the rushing production will be by committee. The leading running back behind Mafah was Jay Haynes, but he tore his ACL against SMU in the ACC Championship. He will most likely return by the start of the season, but at what capacity?
That leaves Keith Adams Jr., David Eziomume, Jarvis Green, wideout-turned-RB Adam Randall, and finally, true freshman Gideon Davidson. And while Davidson might be a freshman, don't be surprised to see him as a major piece in the Tigers' rushing game next season. Randall started with the first-team offense in the spring game ahead of Davidson, but the early enrollee showcased his skills, too, especially in the passing game.
Gideon Davidson a top 10 impact freshman
With all the uncertainty at RB, Fox Sports college football and basketball writer Michael Cohen believes that's all Gideon needs to get his foot in the door.
As an RB in high school, the 94-rated four-star (per 247Sports) eclipsed 1,000 all four years he played for the Liberty Christian Academy Bulldogs. In his final two seasons, he broke 2,000 yards, including an out-of-this-world junior campaign: 2,716 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 12.9 yards per carry.
National recruiting analyst Brian Dohn had this to say about the Virginia native:
"[Davidson is a] patient runner with vision and knows how to set up blocks. Quick feet with stop-start ability. Accelerates well through the hole. Has speed to finish runs. Best suited to run between tackles. Body control to make subtle cuts at second level. Difficult to arm tackle. Shows cut-back ability. instinctual runner can make defenders miss in hole. Solid pass catcher who lines up wide… Can be early contributor in high-level college program."
Gideon is only one of two non-five-star recruits on Cohen's list. Defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart at USC is the other four-star. The rest of the list includes the No. 1 prospect from the 2025 class, Michiagan's five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood, Oregon wide receiver Dakorian Moore, cornerback Devin Sanchez from Ohio State, offensive tackle David Sanders at Tennessee, Texas' WR Kaliq Lockett, CB from LSU DJ Pickett, Michigan OT Andrew Babaloa, and finally, Linkon Cure, a tight end at Kansas State.