Clemson signed two very highly-touted running backs as part of its last recruiting class.
Five-star Will Shipley out of North Carolina and four-star Phil Mafah out of Georgia. Shipley received a ton of buzz during the recruiting process due to being the top all-purpose back in the country, and Mafah might have been one of the more underrated backs in the class.
Both are early enrollee’s and both backs are impressing the Tigers new starting quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei early on in spring practice.
“Pretty much both of the freshman, Phil and Will they’re coming out and matching what we have,” Uiagalelei said. “Those guys were working. Even though they were tired, they were picking it up and pushing it. So that showed me something about those guys, that they’re gonna be pretty good in a couple of years.”
Uiagalelei said that Shipley, in particular, has made an impression on him due to the fact that the freshman has come in with the right attitude and determination. The physical trait that has really stood out is the freshman’s speed.
“During all the mat drills, all of practice and stuff he just looks real great out here,” Uiagalelei said. “He’s a really fast running back and you can just tell he has that mindset to him where he just wants to come out and compete. You can just tell he’s really locked in and really focused.”
