Who’s More Dynamic? Spiller or Etienne
By: Will Vandervort June 16, 2025

CLEMSON — When I think of the word dynamic, especially when it pertains to football, I think of someone who can score every time they touch the ball.

It means they can score in so many ways. It means they can change the outcome of a game with one explosive play.

Over the years, Clemson has had its share of dynamic players, even more so since the start of the new millennium. Guys like Woodrow Dantzler, Rod Gardner, Justin Miller, C.J. Spiller, Deshaun Watson and Travis Etienne to name a few. The list can go on and on.

However, I am limiting it to just 25 players, which was not an easy thing to do. But, anyway, here it goes.

  1.  C.J. Spiller (2006-2009): When you think of dynamic players from Clemson, no one was more dynamic than Spiller. He could do it all, as he had explosive plays as a running back, catching touchdowns passes out of the backfield, returning kickoffs and punts for TDs. Few could change the course of a game the way Spiller did, as his four-year career at Clemson was littered with big play after big play. His seven career TDs on kickoff returns remain an NCAA record, while his 7,588 all-purpose yards ranks third all-time in the NCAA and is still an ACC record. The play everyone remembers in Spiller’s career was his catch-and-run TD against Georgia Tech in 2006, as he left Yellow Jacket defenders grabbing for air in one of the more exciting plays in Clemson history.  
  2.  Travis Etienne (2017-2020): No one in the history of the ACC has rushed for more yards or scored more TDs than Etienne, who, like Spiller, could do it all. He broke Spiller’s Clemson record for TDs of 50 or more yards. He is second all-time in the ACC to Spiller in terms of All-Purpose yards with 6,984 yards. Etienne’s explosiveness was never more prominent than in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl, when he caught two screen passes from Trevor Lawrence and turned them into long touchdowns, including the game winner.
  3. Woodrow Dantzler (1998-2001): No quarterback in Clemson history was more fun to watch play the game than Dantzler. It seemed like every week he was doing something no one had seen before. He set Clemson total yards record for a game in back-to-back weeks in 2001 and no one will ever forget his Hail Mary run at the end of the first half against Georgia Tech in 2001. That two week stretch in wins at Georgia Tech and then at NC State, might be the two greatest individual performances by a Clemson player in history. Dantzler became the first quarterback in major college football to run for 1,000 yards and throw for 2,000 in the same season, and he did it in back-to-back years in 2000 and 2001.
  4.  Sammy Watkins (2011-2013): From the start of his college career to the end of it, Watkins was making plays. He scored on a 50-yard TD on just the second play of his career. The next week Auburn and then did the same to Florida State the week after that and later that year his 89-yard kickoff return against Maryland turned the tide in a come-from-behind victory at Maryland. Watkins finished his career with one of the greatest Orange Bowl performances of all time. Beat up and bruised, Watkins had a school-record 16 receptions for a school-record 227 yards and two touchdowns. His game-high 268 all-purpose yards earned him Orange Bowl MVP honors. Watkins finished his Clemson career with 5,129 yards, good enough for third on the Tigers’ all-time list.   
  5.  Deshaun Watson (2014-2016): Watson was not flashy like the four men ahead of him, but he always seemed to make that big play every time Clemson needed one. Just look at the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship game for reference. Think about his performance against South Carolina, beating the Gamecocks with one leg because he tore the ACL in his knee a weeks before at Georgia Tech. He holds the Clemson single-season record for touchdowns accounted for and total yards. He hold the single game record for passing yards, completions and touchdowns. If that is not the definition of a dynamic player, I do not know what is. By the way, he also rushed for nearly 2,000 yards in his career and scored 26 times.
  6.  Derrick Hamilton (2001-2003): Former Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden called Hamilton “Noodle” due to the uncanny way Hamilton could break tackles and reverse field in a split second. Because of his noodle-like-style, Hamilton bad big plays in the return game and in the passing game. He is one of Clemson’s best in terms of receiving, kickoff and punt return yards in a career. His 1,552 return yards on kickoffs ranks second to Spiller. He also ranks fifth in Clemson history in punt returns yards (618). His 4,839 all-purpose yards ranks fourth in Clemson history.
  7.  Isaiah Simmons (2016-2019): Simmons is the first defensive player on this list, and deservedly so. It is hard to argue that he is the best all-around defensive player in Clemson history. He played at least four positions during his time at Clemson and played each of them well. Using his instincts and speed, Simmons constantly made game-changing plays. Simmons transitioned from safety in 2017 to the starting nickel/SAM linebacker position in 2018 and was eventually named the Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top linebacker in 2019 in only his second year at the position. He concluded his Clemson career with 253 tackles, including 28.5 for loss. He also had 10.5 sacks, 22 pass breakups, four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown), five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
  8.  Andre Ellington (2009-2012): Because he followed Spiller and came before Etienne, Ellington is often forgotten about when it comes to some of the Tigers’ best players. He finished fifth in Clemson history in all-purpose yards, tallying 4,586 yards. Ellington had one of the best first steps and was super explosive through a hole and few people could run him down from behind. His 3,436 rushing yards ranks fifth all-time in Clemson history. His 33 rushing touchdowns and 36 overall TDs also rank fifth in school history.   
  9.  Justin Miller (2002-20040: Miller ranks third in Clemson history in kickoff return yards (1,534) and his 30.7 yards per return average ranks No. 1 in Clemson history. How dynamic was Miller? He set a record for return yards against Florida State in 2004, by returning two kickoffs for touchdowns and racking up 282 yards, an NCAA record at the time. He also led the Tigers with eight interceptions in 2002, which tied the Clemson record for a single season and was tied for the team lead in passes defended with 17. He also broke up nine passes that season.
  10.  James Davis (2005-2008): Davis was the “Thunder” in Clemson’s “Thunder and Lightning” duo in 2006-2008. He finished his career as Clemson’s all-time leader in rushing TDs with 47 and his 49 total TDs at the time were second all-time in Clemson history. Davis also finished second all-time in rushing yards with 3,881. In 2006, he tied Clemson’s single season record for rushing touchdowns with 17. He became the first Clemson running back in history to lead the Tigers in rushing yards all four seasons of his career, matched only by Etienne. Davis went over 100 yards in a game 14 times in his career, fourth all-time in Clemson history.
  11.  Artavis Scott (2014-2016)
  12.  Christian Wilkins (2015-2018)
  13.  Wayne Gallman (2013-2016)
  14.  DeAndre Hopkins (2010-2012)
  15.  Justyn Ross (2018-2021)
  16.  Deon Cain (2015-2017)
  17.  Amari Rodgers (2017-2020)
  18.  Will Shipley (2021-2023)
  19.  Jacoby Ford (2006-2009)
  20.  Tee Higgins (2017-2019)
  21.  Mike Williams (2013-2016)
  22.  Rod Gardner (1997-2000)
  23.  Jordan Leggett (2013-2016)
  24.  Hunter Renfrow (2014-2018)
  25.  Chansi Stuckey (2002-2006)