To this point, Clemson has offered just one running back in the 2026 recruiting class.

4-star in-state back Jaylen McGill (Mountain View Prep), who picked up an offer in September after visiting for the App State game, came off the board this weekend after announcing a commitment to Rutgers.

It never felt like Clemson had much of a shot at landing McGill, but running backs coach C.J. Spiller stuck it out to the end. However, just because no other offers have gone out doesn’t mean the Tigers haven’t been busy recruiting other targets.

Last week, Spiller was in to see 4-star Kaydin Jones (Jenks, OK). The 6-foot, 185-pound back is a Top 250 talent per the 247 Composite Rankings and has more than two dozen offers to his credit. Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas A&M and Ole Miss are some of the more high-profile schools to have pulled the trigger.

Last week Jones also dropped his list of five finalists that included Louisville, Oklahoma, Kansas, Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Whether or not Spiller can get the blue-chip talent to campus for a visit is yet to be determined.

As a junior, Jones totaled 229 carries for 1,476 yards and 17 touchdowns, along with 24 catches for 256 yards and four touchdowns.

As a sophomore, he rushed for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns, totaling 2,205 all-purpose yards and 19 TDs as a runner, pass catcher and return man.

On Monday, Spiller stopped by to check in on 4-star Carsyn Baker (Langston Hughes, Fairburn, GA). The 6-foot-2, 205-pound prospect has right at 40 offers in total, with Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Ohio State and Alabama being just a few of the more notable ones.

Baker rushed for 1,282 yards as a junior with 13 touchdowns. He had six games with more than 100 yards on the ground and averaged 8.8 yards per carry.

Spiller was also in to see 3-star CJ Givers (Fellowship Christian, Roswell, GA) last week. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound back has visited Clemson more than once in the past and recently told The Clemson Insider he was hoping to get back at some point in the spring.

Givers has close to 20 offers, with Georgia Tech, NC State, Ole Miss, SMU, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin all having pulled the trigger. He was in Raleigh over the weekend and heads to Georgia Tech on February 1.