CLEMSON – After Clemson’s first scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday, head coach Dabo Swinney laid out three positions that he saw as “bright spots” in the hot afternoon sun at Memorial Stadium.

With several stars from last year’s team moving on to the NFL or other opportunities, the praise for these positions–all of which were on the offensive side of the ball–was noteworthy.

“All those young guys have done some good things in camp, but just fun to see them play,” Swinney said. “I thought to me, our tight ends and our running backs and our quarterbacks were the bright spots to me. And as a result of that, you got to give credit to the O-line. I thought that first group did a lot of good things.”

This year’s offense, which was implemented this spring and summer by new offensive coordinator Chad Morris, will feature an added focus on the run game — fitting, after the Tigers ranked 11th in the ACC in rushing offense last season. Like the tight ends and quarterbacks, the running backs have stiff competition headed into this year, especially with Morris’ intent to establish the run early.

Fortunately, Swinney was especially pleased with what he saw from sophomore Gideon Davidson, who got the second-most carries on the team last year after senior starter Adam Randall. Though he and SMU transfer C.J. Johnson were on “pitch counts” in the scrimmage, Davidson still made his presence known quickly.

“Well, I mean, Gid broke one for like 60 on a third-and-long on a counter,” Swinney said of Davidson’s performance. “Broke a couple of tackles, but it got called back. It was a first down, but it got called back because we had a hold on (Bryant) Wesco downfield. So, it was great to see him make a big play, man.”

It was not just a first down that got called back, but it was a touchdown. But Swinney’s point was made. Davidson flashed his big play potential and breakaway speed.

As a freshman, Davidson picked up 260 yards on 60 carries, with his longest run going for 28 yards against Furman last November. With a year under his belt, the former four-star will most certainly get a chance to add onto those numbers in a few weeks.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity I have and I look at it as a blessing to be able to be doing this and have this chance,” Davidson said earlier in the week.

According to Swinney, however, Davidson was not the only running back that flashed in Saturday’s matchup. Junior David Eziomume and senior Jarvis Green, who is coming off of an injury, also made plays in the scrimmage.

“EZ had some flashes, man,” Swinney said. “Jarvis Green was awesome. Every time Jarvis plays, he’s just a natural player. He just doesn’t overwhelm you when you look at him, but dude knows how to play. Knows how to play the game. He’s just productive. So I thought he was a real bright spot.” 

Like Green, junior Jay Haynes has also dealt with a lengthy injury recovery after tearing his ACL in the Tigers’ ACC Championship win in 2024. Unlike Green, however, he was not able to participate in the scrimmage after getting “banged up” in a Jervey Meadows practice earlier in the week.

Swinney is hopeful Haynes can return for the next scrimmage in a week.

Clemson may not have a preseason All-ACC or All-American running back this season, but still, Swinney feels confident that his group has the right pieces to improve upon one of its worst rushing seasons in his tenure with the Tigers. With Morris and his run-oriented priorities in tow, each running back will have a chance to make a difference for Clemson this season.

“As I said going into camp, I feel like our running back room is going to be a strength,” Swinney said. “And that’s just my perspective. I mean, I know it’s a bunch of nobodies that nobody knows anything about, but I like our guys and they’re tough and they’ve been productive in practice and they’ve had a real commitment to run the football and that’s been good to see.”