During his radio show Monday night, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney called out the Tigers’ starting running back for his performance in last Saturday’s 20-16 loss to Virginia Tech.
When asked why Gideon Davidson only touched the ball once late in the game, Swinney bluntly stated that the sophomore “played his worst game.”
Swinney elaborated on Davidson’s performance, noting that running backs coach C.J. Spiller took Davidson out of the game, and Swinney added that the benching was justified based on his mistakes. Swinney highlighted Davidson’s pass protection struggles and not hitting the correct running lanes.
Despite the miscues, Davidson remains listed as the starting running back on Clemson’s depth chart for Saturday’s game at Florida State (7 p.m., ACC Network), and Swinney did back the talented youngster as a “really good player” and the Tigers’ “best player there” at his position.
“He’s gotta play better. He played his worst game, and CJ took him out, and rightfully so,” Swinney said. “He’s gotta do what we’re asking him to do. He gave up a couple sacks at the end of the game, and just missed some really critical tracks. Sometimes he just didn’t have his eyes on the right things.
“He’s a really good player. I think he’s our best player there. But man, it’s just frustrating when he doesn’t run the right track. When he does, good stuff happens. But when he doesn’t, it’s 1 yard or no yards. So, he’s just gotta have a little more discipline in what he’s doing, and CJ’s just trying to get him locked in to do his job.”
Against Virginia Tech, Davidson rushed 14 times for 62 yards. The 6-foot, 200-pounder leads the Tigers in carries (93), rushing yards (492) and rushing touchdowns (five) through seven games this season.
After rushing for 105 yards and his first career touchdown on 16 carries in the Week 3 win over North Carolina, Davidson recorded career highs in rushing attempts (22), rushing yards (159) and rushing touchdowns (two) in the Week 4 win at Cal, becoming the first Clemson player to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games since Phil Mafah in 2024.
A former consensus four-star prospect and explosive national award-winner in high school at Liberty Christian Academy (Lynchburg, Va.), Davidson rushed 60 times for 260 yards and caught 11 passes for 93 yards over 13 games as a true freshman in 2025.
