David Pollack identifies running back as Clemson's biggest question in 2025

David Pollack sees the running back position as the biggest unknown for Clemson heading into the 2025 college football season. The Tigers lose last year’s leading rusher, Phil Mafah, to the NFL and it’s still unclear who will emerge to take his spot.

Many believe that true freshman Gideon Davidson could be the answer. Davidson is a four-star prospect who ranked as the No. 4 running back in the 2025 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Of course, it’s no easy task for a freshman to step in and contribute right away, and the Tigers also have a host of other players vying for carries with Keith Adams, David Eziomume and Jarvis Green. No matter which of those names it is though, Pollack hopes to see a better ground game from Clemson than in 2024.

“How about running back? Who’s the guy toting the mail?” he asked on his See Ball Get Ball podcast. “I would argue last year that Mafah was not a bad Mafah. Early on in his career, it was like, ‘That’s a bad Mafah.’ Last year, and I know he was dinged up, but he was not downhill. He was not breaking tackles. It left a lot to be desired. They’ve got to find a way to have the running game — it can’t be Klubnik all the time. It’s gotta be outside of Cade.”

Regardless of Pollack’s take on Mafah, he still finished with more than 1,000 yards rushing as Clemson ranked sixth in the ACC in rushing yards per game. Quarterback Cade Klubnik was the team’s second-leading rusher with a little more than 400 yards on the season.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Tigers split carries among two or three backs at least to start the season. That could give each player a chance to show what they can do before a leader in the room emerges.

There’s certainly a lot of excitement surrounding Davidson, but Eziomume could also be a player to keep an eye out for. The former four-star took a redshirt last season and appeared in only four games, but perhaps could be primed for a leap forward.

All that in mind, David Pollack is certainly has a case with his take about running back being Clemson’s biggest question mark. It’s truly a mystery at this point what to expect from the group, and we’ll just have to wait and see how it takes shape.