Gideon Davidson got the most playing time, and touches, of his young Clemson career during last Saturday’s 38-10 win at North Carolina.

The highly regarded true freshman running back gained 25 yards on seven carries, and also caught two passes against the Tar Heels.

So, what did Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney think of Davidson’s performance vs. UNC?

During his weekly Sunday Zoom call, Swinney gave his evaluation of Davidson, both with and without the ball.

Swinney said one of Davidson’s best plays came without the ball – when he blew up a player on a kick return.

“He did a good job,” Swinney said. “He’s playing on special teams, too, and one of his best plays was on a kick return. He just flat out took a dude out, had a big-time knockdown. Those are things that don’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet.”

Including the UNC game, Davidson has recorded 10 carries for 36 yards over the first five games this season.

The 6-foot, 200-pounder didn’t get any carries in the season opener vs. LSU or in the game vs. Syracuse, but rushed twice for 5 yards vs. Troy and rushed once for 6 yards at Georgia Tech.

Davidson played a season-high 19 snaps vs. UNC after playing only nine total snaps over the first four games this season.

“I think Gideon’s getting better and better each and every week and made some nice plays,” Swinney said.

Davidson was one of the nation’s top-ranked running backs in the 2025 recruiting cycle, as the No. 3 running back and No. 59 overall prospect in his class, per ESPN. He generated a lot of buzz and drew plenty of praise from coaches and teammates alike over the offseason after enrolling at Clemson in January.

Davidson more than proved his worth at the high school level, helping lead his Liberty Christian (Va.) team to a state title in each of his final two seasons. In 2023, he earned MaxPreps National Junior of the Year honors. As a senior, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Virginia after rushing for 2,341 yards with 37 touchdowns.