Dabo Swinney raves about Clemson running back room depth
Dabo Swinney raved about the Clemson running back room when he met with the media after practice on Tuesday.
“Our running back room is really good, I love those guys,” Swinney said. “I’m confident in all of those guys. I think we are going to be able to have some explosiveness, and some guys that can do some things in the passing game.”
Swinney on youth RBs
True freshman Will Shipley is among the top running backs to ever commit to Clemson out of high school. Phil Mafah is the other freshman ball-carrier garnering praise from his head coach heading into the season.
“We got a great group, we have a couple true freshman in Shipley and Mafah that are going to be great players,” Swinney said. “Every single day is going to be a new learning experience for them. “
Shipley is the third-highest ranked running back to ever sign with Clemson. His tape from Weddington High (Matthews, N.C.) displays his sub 4.5-second 40-yard dash speed. He has the ability to break long runs on the outside and runs hard between the tackles, too.
“He’s better than advertised,” Swinney said of Shipley during the Clemson spring game. “He’s going to be a great one. He’s going to be a great player. He’s incredibly dynamic. He can return, he can catch, and he’s physically way ahead for a high school kid. He can absolutely fly. Great teammate, and the guys like him.”
Mafah hasn’t garnered the hype that Shipley has, but new Clemson running backs coach CJ Spiller said he has everything you want in a bigger, physical back.
“Phil has a very high ceiling to be the size that he is, to be able to move the way he can move,” Spiller said. “That’s a very unique skill set to have because a lot of bigger backs don’t possess the thing that Phil’s able to possess.”
Swinney on veteran RBs
Lyn-J Dixton should be Swinney’s go-to veteran and may even open the year as the starter. The senior enters 2021 with 1,372 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 208 career attempts. He enters his fourth campaign ranked second in school history in yards per carry (6.60) behind only Etienne.
Another name to track in the backfield for Clemson this season is sophomore Kobe Pace. In just his second-year, Swinney already views him as a veteran.
“Kobe is a true sophomore, he doesn’t really carry himself that way, he carries himself more like a seasoned veteran how he goes about his business,” Swinney said.
Michael Dukes and Darien Rencher fill out the running back room for 2021.
“Mike Dukes just got a little later start to camp,” Swinney said. “Mike is a guy that has kind of missed out on some early opportunity, but we will get him rolling. Rencher is a savvy veteran as well, so we got a really good room.”
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