Clemson is taking it fairly slow when it comes to running backs in the 2028 recruiting class.
The Tigers have handed out close to 40 offers for the next recruiting cycle to this point, and not one has gone to a running back. In fact, after handing out offers to two tight ends last weekend, running back is the only position in which an offer has yet to go out.
With very few notable backs in the 2028 class working out at camp last month, the direction the staff chooses to go is yet to be determined.
One back that is certainly on the radar is three-star Michael Martin II. The in-state talent, out of Christ Church, has already visited numerous times. He was on hand for almost every home game last season, and then returned multiple times in the spring. However, after having worked out at camp twice already, Martin chose not to attend this summer.
“I already worked out at camp twice. Freshman year and last year, my sophomore year,” Martin recently told TCI. “So, it would not have made a really big difference to go to camp this year. Talking with Coach Spiller, it would not have made a big difference either way, if I came to camp this year or not. Not really worth it for me going this year because he has already seen me work out twice. And he’s seen my film and everything.”
Martin rushed for more than 1,400 yards as a sophomore, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and scoring 30 touchdowns, while earning 3A all-state honors. Prep Red Zone ranks him as the top in-state back in his class.
Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Duke, Cincinnati, Syracuse and East Carolina represent some of Martin’s offers to this point.
Three-star Jacez Walton (Central, GA) might be another name worth keeping an eye on. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound back has visited Clemson three times already, with the most recent one coming during the spring. He was also on hand for the Tigers’ win over Florida State last season.
“Clemson is a great school,” Walton recently told TCI. “Them offering me would show I have a lot of ability. They are really selective because they can get the good guys, and for me to be one of those people they want shows a lot.”
Walton already has more than two dozen offers. LSU, Miami, Tennessee, Penn State, Mississippi State, Kansas, NC State and Maryland have all offered since the end of spring. Georgia, Georgia Tech and Oregon are some of the others to have offered.
Walton’s older brother is Jonaz Walton, who is currently a running back at Notre Dame.
Again, no offers have gone out to this point, and when the time comes, the staff could choose to go in a number of different directions. They could also be waiting on junior film before deciding which players to zero in on.
It’s also worth noting that four-star Gary Walker, who is currently committed in the 2027 class, didn’t pick up an offer until March. So, no news at the moment doesn’t necessarily equate to bad news.
