Dabo Swinney has added another big name to Clemson’s running back room that already featured plenty of star power with the dynamic duo of Will Shipley and Phil Mafah, not to mention C.J. Spiller leading the charge once again entering his third season as the position coach.

Now, Swinney’s coaching staff has another former Clemson running back great to work alongside Spiller in the form of James Davis – who comprised half of the legendary tandem with Spiller that became known as “Thunder and Lightning” and in most games were unstoppable.

Spiller and Davis dominated the ACC and Clemson record books during their time in Tiger Town, and now they’re reuniting on Swinney’s staff with the return of Davis as a student coach who’s finishing up his degree.

“I went and got a guy named James Davis to come back, so it’s a pretty good running back meeting room, for sure,” Swinney said with a smile at Tuesday’s media outing. “You got two guys, whose pictures are on the wall, leading the room. That’s pretty cool. It’s a lot of fun.”

Before being selected in the sixth round (195th overall pick) of the 2009 NFL Draft and spending three years in the league, Davis was the 2005 ACC Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-ACC honoree at Clemson. He led the team in rushing yards in each of the four seasons he played for the Tigers, including the three years (2006-08) he shared the backfield with Spiller.

From 2005-’08, Davis rushed for 3,881 yards and scored what was then a Clemson record 47 rushing touchdowns. His 3,881 rushing yards ranked second all-time in Clemson history when he finished his college career.

“I am happy about James coming back,” Swinney said. “He’s coming back to finish school, and something I think he’s been wanting to do for a while and it’s just kind of the right time for him and where he is in life to kind of fulfill that and check that box. So, I’m really happy for him to come back and be able to experience what he was a part of building here.”

We are excited to announce our second annual Dear Old Clemson event for the freshmen football class.  Come out on July 22 at 10 AM at the indoor football facility for a meet and greet autograph session with the scholarship freshmen from the 2023 class. Clemson coordinators Garrett Riley and Wes Goodwin will be attendance and speak at the event.

Get your tickets today at Dear Old Clemson.