Now that former Clemson running back Will Shipley has gone pro, and Phil Mafah has locked up the starting running back job after a nearly 1,000-yard season, the question is: who will be the backup and third-string?
Last season, the only two players listed at running back who got more than six carries were Domonique Thomas and Keith Adams Jr.
Thomas was productive with his 18 carries as he rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown; however, he entered the transfer portal in December and committed to Georgia State but re-entered the transfer portal back in April and committed to Ole Miss by May.
So, it does look like Keith Adams Jr. will be the backup for Mafah as he was the third-string for a majority of last season and received six carries in the spring game, which was tied for the third most of all running backs.
But currently, the Clemson running back depth chart in order is listed: Phil Mafah, Jay Haynes, Keith Adams Jr., Jarvis Greene, and David Eziomume, according to ourlads.com.
You may not know who Haynes is because he red-shirted his freshman season last year and was inactive for the spring game with a hamstring injury. He showcased his ability to impact this Clemson offense in his two-game sample size; he had six carries for 35 yards and one touchdown on the ground, as well as one catch for six yards and a touchdown through the air.
So it will be interesting to see who can lock up that backup spot between Adams Jr. and Haynes.
The one guy I think has gone under the radar since this offseason started and who could possibly take that backup spot by the end of the 2024 season is true freshman David Eziomume.
Eziomume was the only running back to be offered in the 2024 cycle by Clemson Football, and it’s clear that running back coach and former Clemson star C.J. Spiller sees the ability and potential the young running back possesses.
Eziomume was a four-star recruit from North Cobb High School in Kennesaw, Georgia. He was ranked as the No. 335 player nationally, the No. 22 running back nationally, and the No. 39 player in his state.
The six-foot-one, 205-pound running back led the state of Georgia in rushing yards five games into his senior campaign; in just a three-game span, he ran for 799 yards and ten touchdowns, including a 326-yard and four-touchdown performance. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury that sidelined him for three weeks, cutting the hot streak early. He would come back and score a touchdown on Senior Night, but North Cobb and Eziomume failed to regain their momentum, and they lost to Collins Hill in the first round of the playoffs. He was named as an honorable mention for the 2023 GHSA All-State Team.
He enrolled at Clemson early in March of this year and got eight carries (team-high) in the Spring Game, showing he could potentially be fighting for the backup spot, yet we haven’t heard much about the young and versatile back since aside from Coach Spiller’s comments. Regardless, Eziomume looks to play a heavy role in Clemson’s future backfield.
One last guy I want to talk about is Peyton Streko, who caught my eye heavily in this year’s Spring Game.
Streko is a red-shirt freshman from Cumming, Georgia. In three varsity seasons with West Forsyth High School, he carried the ball 311 times for 2,139 yards and 27 touchdowns. Additionally, he brought in 25 receptions for 378 yards and four touchdowns. He was named to the 6-7A First Team twice in three years.
Streko originally was committed to the Air Force as he wasn’t heavily recruited, but he decommitted in late 2022. He then started receiving interest from Clemson shortly after, leading him to commit to the Football team as a walk-on, choosing the Tigers over several FBS offers from Air Force, Army, and Navy, among others.
While he only played in one game on the special teams unit, he looked terrific in Clemson’s Spring Game back in April, where he had a performance of seven carries for 24 yards and one touchdown, including a 13-yard agile run. He also was able to haul in two catches for 23 yards, with one of the two being an 18-yard chunk play. Jarvis Greene, another deep sleeper for the RB2 and RB3 positions, also played well in the game. He had six carries for 29 yards, with one of his carries being a 15-yard gain.
Ultimately, this is just a projection. We have no idea who the clear-cut RB2 or RB3 is; for all we know, a committee could pick it, but I don’t see that happening.
