WATCH: Clemson sophomore running back Phil Mafah rips off touchdown run in scrimmage
The Clemson Tigers had another scrimmage recently in fall camp and their backfield once again showed that they’ll have an extremely deep backfield. Sophomore running back Phil Mafah has been impressive ever since he set foot on campus last year as one of the nation’s top running back prospects. He recently ripped of a beautiful touchdown run in the Tigers’ scrimmage.
Check it out.
Last season as a freshman, Mafah had 68 carries for 311 rushing yards, while punching in three touchdowns on the ground. As a receiver, he hauled in seven catches for 50 receiving yards. Clemson is expected to have a three-headed monster at running back this fall: featuring the likes of Will Shipley, Kobe Pace, and Phil Mafah.
Checking in at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, Mafah simply has an excellent combination of agility and speed for a running back of his size. He displayed that during his highly decorated career at the prestigious program of Grayson High (Loganville, Georgia). In three years with the Rams, he rushed for 2,526 rushing yards on 288 carries (8.8 yards per carry) and scored 37 touchdowns.
According to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2021 cycle, he was rated as the No. 12 running back in America and a four-star prospect. When he chose Clemson, he had double-digit scholarship offers and was one of the more highly sought-after running back prospects in the country.
While he won’t see as many touches as Pace and Shipley, Mafah is expected to see an uptick in snaps this year in Clemson’s three-pronged rushing attack. Tigers’ offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter said Mafah showed up to fall camp in great shape and even added 10 pounds without losing any speed, according to an article by Brad Senkiw of Sports Illustrated. “Phil Mafah, I think he’s around 230 pounds right now, but he can move just as well or better than he did when he weighed 220,” Streeter said. “That’s a perfect example of a guy that just put in the work.”
He’s going to be an exciting prospect to watch develop the next few seasons!