CLEMSON – Just shy of two years ago, it appeared that a new running back was primed to take over for incumbent Phil Mafah at the end of the 2024 Clemson football season.

Jay Haynes, then a sophomore, rose up to become Mafah’s backup over the course of that ACC Championship season for the Tigers, racking up 295 rushing yards and three touchdowns over the course of 13 games played.

However, while Clemson fans were celebrating a College Football Playoff berth in December of 2024 after defeating SMU in Charlotte, Haynes was on a very different track, undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery. Suddenly, the star underclassman’s hopes to start in a Playoff game or in 2025 were slashed.

Now, 22 months later, he has yet to appear in another college football game.

“He’s the forgotten guy around here, and you know I’m hoping that he gets remembered quick because we all have seen it,” Swinney said. “I mean, this kid’s a good football player. He’s a really good player, and rose up to be our number two behind Mafah, and was really very productive with his opportunities.” 

According to Swinney, Haynes continued to deal with setbacks over the course of the 2025 season while wide receiver Adam Randall switched over to become the starting running back for the Tigers and got the majority of all carries.

In the meantime, Haynes watched, away from the spotlight and in the training room.

Finally, after over a year and a disappointing record for the Tigers, the Roanoke, Ala., native was able to practice last offseason, showing off his skills for new offensive coordinator Chad Morris for the first time.

“Chad, I mean, like he doesn’t know,” Swinney said. “He knows nothing about it other than what we say. And there were two or three days in camp where everybody’s like, “Whoa, this kid! (Haynes) is just natural.”

Before his time at Clemson, Haynes was far from unknown, at least in high school football circles in Alabama. The former three-star recruit rushed for 37 touchdowns in 24 games across the final two years of his high school career, rushing for 100 yards nine separate times as a senior. 

Swinney and the Tigers saw potential in the 5-foot-11 athlete, giving him his first Power Four offer. Many years later, that belief remains the same.

“He’s got great feel, great vision,” Swinney said. “He’s a downhill runner. He’s a lot like Jarvis (Green) in that he’s just very natural and instinctive. He’s just bigger. He’s a big kid and he can run.”

Now, four years removed from his Clemson commitment, Haynes may be poised to let college football fans know what he can do fully healthy. While he was not available to play in Clemson’s 40-13 loss to Miami due to personal reasons, Swinney believes his running back could play a role in the Tigers’ upcoming matchup.

“He got some live work last week,” he said. “I think that was good for him to get out there and have to have some dirty yards and get hit and tackle and play football. And so I think he’s in a good place again through today and tomorrow because he just hasn’t had a lot of good breaks go his way. But moving to Eziomume and Jarvis being banged up, this is a great opportunity for him to hopefully be able to play the game with confidence and just kind of get going.”

Haynes will get his next opportunity to step back into the spotlight on Saturday, when the Tigers will host Charleston Southern at Memorial Stadium at noon.

In his last game against an FCS opponent back in 2024, Haynes rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns.