Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has used a little tough love to motivate transfer running back Chris Johnson Jr. ahead of the 2026 season.

When Swinney first met Johnson, Swinney told the speedster that he “ain’t been serious about being great.” Swinney noted that despite three years in college football, Johnson did not look as physically mature as he should be.

Fast forward to the present, and things have changed a lot. After challenging Johnson in the spring, Swinney says Johnson has really bought in to changing his body and committed to nutrition this offseason, and his playing weight is now in a “good spot.”

“He’s got his weight in a good spot,” Swinney said of Johnson, who is listed at 6-foot, 190 pounds. “He’s certainly an explosive player. He’s touchdown fast. What I mean by that is whatever you need for the touchdown, he can do it. You need 90, you need 10, you need 70 – he can go the distance. So, it’s nice to know you’ve got a guy like that roaming around.”

Clemson running backs coach C.J. Spiller has also taken notice of Johnson’s physical development and transformation, saying he took the challenge from Swinney “head-on” and looks much different now than he did when he enrolled at Clemson in January after transferring from SMU.  

“Man, he took it on head-on,” Spiller said. “I mean, he challenged him about changing his body. Just because he had been in college for a couple years, and it wasn’t what you’d think it would be. But he was very disciplined, and he put his head down and he went to work. Now he’s a whole lot stronger, a whole lot bigger than what he was when we signed him out of the portal. But that just speaks credit to his work ethic and the type of person he is. … So, I’m pleased with where he’s at from a body composition standpoint, and I know he’s going to continue to just get better, and that’s going to help his game.”

A former four-star football prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, Johnson lettered at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he was also one of the state’s premier sprinters. He won Florida’s 3A state title in the 100-meter dash (10.45) and 200-meter dash (20.78) as a junior and anchored a 4×100 team that captured gold during his sophomore year.

Johnson spent his first three college seasons in the ACC, playing 16 games at Miami from 2023-24 and then 12 at SMU in 2025. He rushed 84 times for 583 yards with five touchdowns, caught 26 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns, and returned 22 kickoffs for 522 yards across those three seasons.

In 2025, Johnson finished third on SMU in rushing attempts (67) and second in rushing yards (479) and rushing touchdowns (four), while adding 17 catches for 180 yards with a receiving touchdown. In SMU’s 35-24 win at Clemson on Oct. 18, he rushed six times for 59 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 40 yards.

The speed Johnson brings to the table is obvious, and his new body composition hasn’t slowed him down at all, but Spiller believes he’s more than simply a burner and can be a “complete” back.

“His speed speaks for itself,” Spiller said. “He’s obviously probably one of the fastest dudes on our team. He’s a legit 4.2-type player. He’s legit, hold your breath, if you’re missing it, it could be a touchdown. That’s just what he brings to the table. And then just his confidence. He’s a tougher runner than what people think, just probably because of his body frame. But he had some tough runs this spring, that was like, OK, this dude can be a complete player.”

Not only is Johnson in a good place physically, but he also seems to be in a good mental space and appears happy in Tigertown heading into the 2026 season – as evidenced by the smiles that Swinney has been able to coax out of him.

“He’s been awesome. And I’ve seen him smile on more than one occasion,” Swinney said. “So that’s been really, really good. That was one of my goals was, you’re gonna smile. I called [SMU head coach] Rhett [Lashlee] about him. Rhett was like, ‘He’s amazing, he just never smiles.’ And I’m like, ‘He’s gonna smile, I’m gonna get him to smile.’ I told him that, too, in the recruiting process. Like, ‘You come to Clemson, man, I’m gonna get some smiles out of you.’ So, it’s been kind of fun to watch him just fit in, and he’s done a good job.”