Transfer running back Chris Johnson Jr. enjoyed a breakout performance for Clemson on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

After minimal offensive impact over the first five games of the 2026 season, Johnson shined while helping the Tigers (4-2) to a commanding 37-0 victory over FCS foe Charleston Southern (3-4).

Johnson, who transferred to Clemson from SMU this past offseason, scored his first two touchdowns as a Tiger during the contest. Stepping up in the absence of injured backup Jarvis Green behind starting running back Gideon Davidson, Johnson provided a spark to the Tigers’ ground game, helping the team race out to a dominant 34-0 halftime advantage.

With just over five minutes left in the first quarter, Johnson punched in a 6-yard touchdown run to cap off a 68-yard drive. He used a juking move near the goal line to beat the Buccaneers’ defense, securing his first score in a Clemson uniform and giving the Tigers a 10-0 lead.

In the second quarter, Johnson found the end zone again, this time on a 2-yard touchdown run, to cap a 70-yard drive and put Clemson ahead 24-0.

Filling a rotational role, Johnson carried the ball seven times for 34 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He also caught a pass for 6 yards.

Additionally, Johnson added a 43-yard kick return on the opening kickoff, helping set the tone for the Tigers’ rout and giving him a game-high 83 all-purpose yards.

“CJ, probably his best day as well. Almost 5 yards a carry, a couple touchdowns,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said of Johnson’s performance after the game.

Clemson made a lot of moves in the transfer portal addressing the defense this past offseason, but there wasn’t much added on the offensive side of the ball. However, the Tigers’ big transfer addition on offense was expected to be an impact player in Johnson.

It’s been a slow start to his Clemson tenure in limited action, as the senior had only 22 carries for 101 yards over the first five games of the 2026 campaign. But against Charleston Southern, Johnson made the type of impact the Tigers thought he could when they landed the speedy playmaker – one of the fastest backs in the country — out of the transfer portal over the offseason.

Johnson spent his first three college seasons in the ACC, playing 16 games at Miami from 2023-24 and then 12 at SMU in 2025. The 6-foot, 190-pounder rushed 84 times for 583 yards with five touchdowns, caught 26 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns, and returned 22 kickoffs for 522 yards across those three seasons.

Last season, Johnson finished third on SMU in rushing attempts (67) and second in rushing yards (479) and rushing touchdowns (four), while adding 17 catches for 180 yards with a receiving touchdown. In SMU’s 35-24 win at Clemson last October, he rushed six times for 59 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 40 yards.

The Tigers return to action next Saturday night and dive back into ACC play when they host Virginia Tech at Memorial Stadium.