Phil Mafah is the undisputed RB1 for the Clemson Tigers in 2024.
The senior running back spoke during media availability following Monday’s practice, the bruising ball carrier talked about the talent on this Clemson team, its unity, the running backs coach C.J. Spiller, and his readiness to shoulder a major load on offense this year.
Head coach Dabo Swinney has already stated that he plans for Mafah to carry the ball at least 15 times per game. That is just fine with Phil.
“Anyone that gets in there I’m sure can do the job, but I’m willing to take as many carries as they want me to,” Mafah said. “As long as my team wins, that’s all I really care about. You’ll definitely see other backs in there getting work in because the standard is the standard. We can throw anyone out there and they’ll be good.”
Phil Mafah
Last season, Phil Mafah was a tandem back along with starter Will Shipley. With Shipley now in the NFL ranks, it opens the door for Mafah to be the guy in the Tigers’ backfield and he has already shown flashes of brilliance.
Mafah rushed for nearly 200 yards against Notre Dame last season in a must-win game for Clemson at Death Valley. Then, in the Gator Bowl against Kentucky, he scored three of his four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help lead the Tigers back from a big deficit to stun the Wildcats.
As a junior, Phil rushed for 965 yards on 179 attempts and scored 13 touchdowns. In his career, he has 1,772 rushing yards and 20 scores to go along with 206 receiving yards. Monday was Clemson’s first day in pads, and being able to make contact was something Mafah was looking forward to.
“Sparks are always flying and we get each other better every single day,” he said. “When you go against a defense like that, it gets us better and it’s been great. The first day we’ve had pads so actual contact. It’s our first dose of real football so it was a good day overall.”
Phil Mafah
Monday was running backs coach C.J. Spiller’s 37th birthday and Mafah said he brought in cookies for everyone. On the field, Phil wants to eat up opposing defenses and appreciates the confidence Spiller has in him to perform at a high level.
“It’s been awesome all four years I’ve been here,” stated Mafah. “Coach Spiller has been great. He’s been here, done that, so he has a lot of experience and expertise. It’s awesome to have an opportunity to be coached by a coach like Coach Spiller.”
Phil Mafah
Mafah has become one of the faces of Clemson football, and he was asked what it meant to be able to represent the Tigers at ACC media days in July. He said it was an honor and was something he had always wanted to do.
“It was a great experience,” added Mafah added. “That’s always something that I wanted to do, go up to Charlotte and be able to represent the team. I’m glad I got to do that, glad I got to meet new guys, meet other teams there, and just talk about our team in the offseason and our plans for this year.”
Phil Mafah
Behind Mafah, Clemson has several other talented ball carriers who can give a breather when the time comes. Keith Adams Jr., David Eziomume, and Jay Haynes are all talented players, and Mafah has high confidence in his backfield mates.
“They’re looking really good,” he said. “They’ve been progressing really well. They haven’t had much game experience up to this point, but practicing, going against a defense like we go against, it’s gotten all of us better. I feel like the future is bright for the running back room and there’s definitely guys in there that are getting better, and I believe will make an impact this year.”
Phil Mafah
With Phil Mafah leading the way, look for Clemson to once again have a strong running game and a true leader to shoulder the load. Mafah has patiently waited his turn and his and the Tigers’ time is now.
