A silver lining from Clemson’s 46-45 loss to Duke on Saturday at Memorial Stadium was the performance of running back Gideon Davidson.
The highly regarded true freshman provided a spark for the Tigers, as he ran for 51 yards on 12 carries to help a Clemson running game that totaled 175 yards. Davidson’s 51 yards and 12 carries are both career highs.
“It was great to kind of have a breakout day for Gid, and really get him in the rhythm of the offense as well,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “He was a real bright spot in the game.”
Davidson was one of the nation’s top-ranked running backs in the 2025 recruiting cycle, as the No. 3 running back and No. 59 overall prospect in his class, per ESPN. He generated a lot of buzz and drew plenty of praise from coaches and teammates alike over the offseason after enrolling at Clemson in January.
Davidson more than proved his worth at the high school level, helping lead his Liberty Christian (Va.) team to a state title in each of his final two seasons. In 2023, he earned MaxPreps National Junior of the Year honors. As a senior, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Virginia after rushing for 2,341 yards with 37 touchdowns.
After his effort vs. Duke, Davidson now has 110 rushing yards on 27 carries across eight games this season. The 6-foot, 200-pounder has also recorded six receptions for 42 yards.
The Tigers also got 89 yards and two touchdowns from senior running back Adam Randall vs. Duke. It marked the first time all season Clemson had two running backs go over 50 yards in the same game.
“Really just got a good rotation [at running back]. That was something that we really worked on in the open date, to just really commit to that,” Swinney said. “Not as much about the touches as it is just the plays, and then the touches will come.”
Swinney added that the Tigers felt like Davidson was ready for a bigger role against the Blue Devils.
“He’s ready,” Swinney said. “The game has slowed down for him, and that was a coming out party for him. It was awesome. He’ll get a lot of confidence from that.”