We’re back with another week of news, so we’re just under 30 days away from kickoff! Today we’ll discuss senior RB Phil Mafah, our expectations, and his own. We’ll also discuss the recent ACC polls, the start of fall camp, and so much more below!
One name you’re probably familiar with is Clemson RB Phil Mafah. He saw the field quite a bit last season as a junior but remained behind star running back Will Shipley. Mafah is expected to step up as the starting running back this year after Shipley was drafted by the Eagles in the 2023 NFL Draft. A lot of people are excited to see Mafah finally get his starting spot, as many fans thought he should’ve taken over as RB1 last season. This was due to Will Shipley facing early season struggles, whereas Mafah seemed to succeed when he was on the field. Nonetheless, his time is now, and we expect him to show the league who he truly is in a breakout season. “Breaking 1,000 yards is one of my goals. . .” he stated at Media Day, “It’s more to it than that. . . this being my last year I just want to leave a mark on my team and my university.” With Mafah being a part of the 2021 class, there’s a chance he will have more years of eligibility available after this season. Ultimately, it will come down to his chances of being drafted, and if they are high, you can bet this will be the last we see of him.
For the first time in nine years, Clemson is not predicted to win the ACC. Now if you’ve been a Tiger for a long time, you know we don’t let these polls decide our season, but it brings to question are the Tigers on a decline? We don’t believe so, as we’ve got a ton of young talent that is more than ready to develop, but it seems to be a popular belief amongst college football fans nationwide.
One thing that stands out about Clemson and its program, is that it’s about so much more than football. This proved right with Senior LB Barrett Carter, who is 1 of only 111 college football players to be nominated for the Wuerffel Award. The Wuerffel Award is given to a college football player who shows great service to his community, and we are honored to say one of our Tigers is on the watch list!
Day one of Fall Football Camp for the Tigers started yesterday, and there are some improvements we hope to see before the first kickoff. There’s no question, after the BIG Weigh In, that this team is in great shape. The question is will it be properly utilized, or can we expect to see short-passing plays and a panicked quarterback? Tigers staff have stated that Cade Klubnik has come a long way since last season, but only time will tell, and that time is coming soon.
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Written by: Brandon Cannady
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