Clemson’s backfield is starting over, and C.J. Spiller sounds like he likes it that way.
After a rough 2025 on the ground - Clemson finished 105th nationally and 11th in the ACC with 124.5 rushing yards per game - the Tigers are heading into 2026 with a revamped room, a new offense and a fresh opportunity to reset the entire operation. With Adam Randall gone after handling 168 carries last season, Clemson is trying to build something more in line with the top-50 rushing attacks it posted from 2022-24.
“This year, everybody kind of got a clean slate,” Spiller said at Clemson’s media day July 14. “Everybody had to start from ground zero to learn it compared to a year ago.
… At the end of the day, it's really just about having healthy competition. Everybody's going to bring something totally different to the table.
And then it's just the coach's job to figure out what guys excel at and what they don't excel at.”
That reset includes a major portal addition in SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr., one of 11 transfers Clemson brought in this offseason - more than every other class combined since the portal opened. Johnson arrived after rushing for 479 yards and four touchdowns last season, and Spiller believes his value goes well beyond what he can do as a runner.
“He can catch the ball really well out the backfield, obviously. Especially with what coach Morris wants to do offensively,” Spiller said.
“He can definitely be a guy that you can utilize, not just throw him a swing route. This guy can run a corner route.
You'll feel comfortable with him doing it. That's what I've been really pleased with with him this spring.”
Johnson gives Clemson a new piece, but he’s not walking into a room with a blank depth chart. Sophomore Gideon Davidson is expected to take another jump after working as the Tigers’ No. 2 back as a true freshman in 2025. Davidson ran 60 times for 260 yards last season and is still looking for his first rushing touchdown at Clemson.
Spiller said Davidson has handled the challenge of Year 2 the right way.
“Honestly, just be Gideon. You don't need to go out and try to be anybody else in my room,” Spiller said.
“He's a kid that loves a challenge, and he loves taking on that challenge, and he wants to get better as a player. … Just go out and put the horse blinders on, forget all the other stuff, all the outside stuff, and just focus on what you need to do to to be a great football player.”
Spiller also said he’s talked with Davidson about approaching 2026 with the mindset of Clemson’s lead back.
“He understands that, hey, it's time to go. You got to set that tone now.
You the top dog. That’s what comes with being the top dog,” he said.
There are more familiar names in the mix too. Seniors Jay Haynes and Jarvis Greene are both back after missing all of last season while rehabbing injuries, and Spiller called them “forgotten guys” because of how long they were out. Even so, he’s encouraged by what he’s seen from both this spring and summer.
“Those guys have done a great job this spring and this summer really taking ownership into getting themselves healthy, to get themselves the best chance to go out and compete, and that's that's credit to to their work they do,” Spiller said.
So while Clemson’s running backs room remains hard to project, the Tigers do have options. Between Johnson’s versatility, Davidson’s next-step potential and the return of Haynes and Greene, Spiller is working with a group that looks very different from last season’s and, in his view, ready for a real reset.
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