Tony Elliott walked up to the media gathered following Monday morning’s practice a little winded. He just finished running sprints with his running backs after a two and a half hour practice beside the Jervey Athletic Center in Clemson.

Why was the Tigers’ new co-offensive coordinator, and running backs, coach running with his players?

“We had to do a little bit of running,” he said. “Anytime we have a little bit of ball security issues we always pay a little extra. We do as a group because everyone is impacted if we put the ball on the ground.”

It seems as if the one putting the football on the ground the most right now is sophomore Tyshon Dye. He put two balls on the ground last week and on Monday Elliott confirmed Dye had slip to No. 5 in the pecking order of six running backs.

“Dye is coming along, but right now those four guys have probably had the best (camp),” Elliott said.

Elliott stated Wayne Gallman is at the top and is pushing hard, but C.J. Davidson is not too far behind.

“Like I have said before, he has a really, really good look in his eye. He is competing,” Elliott said.

Davidson was competing with Shaq Lawson in Monday morning’s practice. During Paw Drills the two former Daniel Lions got into a fight in which Davidson came after the defensive end following a tackle.

Adam Choice also got out in the thick of things on Monday, getting tackled for the first time since injuring his knee last October at Boston College.

“It was good to see Choice get out there in a situation where he could get hit, and he looked good,” Elliott said.

Redshirt freshman C.J. Fuller also looked good, though he had a setback in Monday’s practice. Elliott said before Monday, Fuller has probably had the best camp of them all.

“That’s the pecking order right now, but it is far from being settled,” Elliott said. “They all have to compete.”

Zac Brooks is listed sixth, though Elliott says he has not been evaluated since he is coming off an injury, and has not had an opportunity to compete.

“Zac had the heel and is just now trying to get back healthy so we don’t want to give him the assessment, yet. We want to get him healthy before we make a true evaluation,” Elliott said.

After missing all of last season after breaking his foot the week before the start of the season, Brooks admitted it was frustrating watching practice from the sidelines last week due to a bruise on the bottom of his left heel.

“I knew it was just taking away from my reps,” Brooks said. “It was makes me work that much harder to try and get the spot I feel like I deserve. It was pretty frustrating, but I had to put in my mind that I was going to push through whatever was going on.

“I just can’t let anything get in the way of what’s most important.”