CLEMSON — The Gator Bowl was one of the wildest games Phil Mafah has ever been involved in.

The Clemson running back set a Clemson and Gator Bowl record of four rushing touchdowns in the Tigers’ come-from-behind victory, including the game winner with 17 seconds to play. Three of Mafah’s four touchdowns came in the fourth quarter.

“I feel like that was the craziest fourth quarter I ever played in. Just so much emotion, especially in the fourth quarter,” the rising senior said following the game. “Just had to keep fighting and didn’t know what the outcome would be at that point, but you just had to keep fighting and believing and trusting your teammates to get the job done and get the win.”

Mafah rushed for 71 yards to go along with his four scores, including a 29-yard touchdown run. He averaged 6.5 yards on 11 carries.

With Will Shipley off to the NFL, Mafah becomes the “Man” in Clemson’s running back room. The last two seasons, he has shared the mantra with Shipley and actually did not become a focal point in the offense until the Tigers’ win over then No. 12 Notre Dame in early November.

Mafah rushed for a career high 186 yards, while tying a school record with 36 carries. The most carries in a game by a running back at Clemson since 1997.

The Loganville, Ga., native led the Tigers in rushing in six of the last seven games. He finished the season with a team-high 965 yards, as well as a team-best 13 touchdowns and a team-best 5.4 yards per carry average.

As the Tigers get set for spring practice next month, Mafah knows, for the first time in his college career, he is the “Man” at the running back position.

Phil Mafah, 6-1, 230, Sr – Mafah is a punishing back who enters 2024 with 345 rushing attempts for 1,772 yards and 20 touchdowns, as well as 37 receptions for 206 yards in 36 games, including seven starts.

Keith Adams Jr., 5-9, 215, *So – Adams is the son of former Clemson great Keith Adams Sr, who was a linebacker at Clemson from 1996-’99 and was the 1999 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-American. The elder Adams was nicknamed the “Termite” during his time at Clemson. Like his father, Adams Jr also has a nickname. The coaches call him “Hammerhead” because of his hard and punishing running style. He has played in nine games in his first two seasons and has 81 yards on 14 carries.

Jarvis Green, 5-9, 200, *Fr – Green redshirted last season, but he recorded more than 6,000 career all-purpose yards and 91 total touchdowns at Dutch Fork High School in Columbia before signing with Clemson. He played in two games in 2023 and had a 36-yard kickoff return.

Jay Haynes, 5-11, 185, *Fr – Haynes was redshirted last season as he only played in two games. He had 35 yards and a touchdown on six rushing attempts. He averaged more than 10 yards per carry in his final two seasons of high school football.

David Eziomume, 6-1, 210, Fr – He was rated as the fifth best running back in the nation by Rivals coming out of high school this year. Eziomume was on pace for an outstanding senior season before it was cut short by injury. At the time of his injury, he led the state of Georgia in rushing through six games with 1,155 yards, including consecutive games of 205, 268 and 326 rushing yards early in the season. He enrolled at Clemson in January.

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