CLEMSON – In 58 years of existence, the New Orleans Saints have had 38 distinct starting quarterbacks.

Not one of them was more successful than Drew Brees, a 13-time Pro-Bowler who took the squad to its first-ever Super Bowl win in 2009. 

Brees spearheaded the Saints’ offense for 15 years, finishing with 151 career wins, and NFL records in passing yardage and completions, among other metrics. Still, he treated every offseason like his first, with no entitlement attached. 

For two years, towards the tail-end of Brees’ career, the signal-caller spent around six months with a young, running back from Clemson on his roster.

Six years after Brees retired from gridiron glory and a decade after that stint with Clemson great C.J. Spiller, the New Orleans legend’s “clean slate” mentality is being preached to Clemson players ahead of their 2026 season.

“That’s something that I learned from being around Drew Brees in New Orleans,” said Spiller, who now coaches Clemson’s running backs on Dabo Swinney’s staff. “I mean, every year he started from ground zero, even though he had been in the offense 15-plus years. Every year was ground zero.”

Spiller spent eight years in the NFL. The former first-round pick played five seasons for the Buffalo Bills, before going to New Orleans for two seasons.

In his time in and around professional football, Spiller heard Brees’ “ground zero” mentality echoed by some of the sports’ legends — superstars who were not too good to study their playbooks each summer.

“You hear Tom Brady talk about it every year, ground zero,” Spiller said. “Ray Lewis, who I had a chance to talk to, every year is ground zero, because every year is different. And so when you keep that perspective as a player, it helps you become better. But that’s why those guys are great because that’s the mindset that they have.”

The lesson is fitting, coming from Spiller, because in his time in the college ranks from 2006-09, the Clemson Ring of Honor inductee had two position coaches, offensive coordinators and head coaches.

Spiller adapted, as he became arguably the greatest player in Clemson history. He set 28 school records, along with several NCAA and ACC records as well. His NCAA record for kick returns is still in place, as his is his ACC record for most career all-purpose yards (7,588). That number still ranks in the top five in the history of the NCAA.

“Every year is different,” the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame honoree said. “Every year you got to have a starting point somewhere, but at the end of the day, everybody has an opportunity to go out and see what they can do. And so, I think if you keep that perspective and that mindset as a player, that’s how you get growth. I think if you don’t, then you kind of get stagnant.”

This season, the Tigers’ running backs are truly starting at ground zero, and unlike Brees or Brady, there are no Super Bowl appearances for the players in the room to draw experience from.

Last season, Adam Randall, who formerly played wide receiver, received the overwhelming brunt of the run-game duties, finishing with 168 carries for 814 yards. In the year prior, Phil Mafah got 63 percent of all running back carries, finishing with 1,115 yards, or almost half of Clemson’s rushing production.

One season earlier, he split time with veteran Will Shipley, who was a cornerstone of the Tigers’ offense for four seasons.

Now, with all three players gone, there is a chance for several other backs to emerge as standouts cutting through all of the unknowns.

Gideon Davidson, a rising sophomore, is poised to get a bigger role in 2026. On the other hand, SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr.– who recently ran a blazing 4.24-second 40-yard dash – is looking to break onto the scene.

In the wings wait David Eziomume, a rising junior, along with Jarvis Green and Jay Haynes, who is coming off of an ACL tear that kept him off the field all of last season.

“I’m really pleased, I’m happy with where we’re at in my room,” Spiller said. “Excited about the competition and feel confident that you know each and all those guys go out there and get it done.”

Not only are these players relatively inexperienced compared to Mafah, Randall, Shipley, or certainly a player like Spiller, but they are also working with an entirely new scheme under recently-hired offensive coordinator Chad Morris.

After finishing just 11th in the ACC in rushing offense last season, Clemson’s new OC is looking to prioritize the run-game this year, focusing on bolstering the clean slate in front of him.

“We want to be tough. And I believe in order for you to be tough, you have to run the football,” Morris said this spring. “You have to be able to present the run, and in multiple ways and be creative when you do present the run.”

With that mentality, Clemson’s ground zero running backs are in for some work and competition this season, and it will get started next week, when the Tigers start fall camp on Aug. 6. In just over a month, Tiger fans will see how the Brees and Brady inspired mentality will pay off, when Clemson heads to Baton Rouge, La., to take on LSU at Tiger Stadium on Sept. 5.