Clemson Football: RB Analysis

Throughout the month of June, Rubbing the Rock will be breaking down each position to gear up for the 2015 Clemson football season. Today, we take a look at the running backs.

The 2015 Clemson football season is just a little under three months away and everything will be, from here on out, pretty quiet news-wise. We have officially hit the “barren part” of the calendar year where we all take summer vacations and enjoy barbeques, all the while waiting for the College Football season to be here. Throughout the month of June, we will be taking a look at each position and giving you a projected starter, as well as a two-deep guy and some players to watch out for this coming season. Today, we take a look at the running backs.

The Clemson running back situation is one of the best problems to have when you are deciphering through positions: There are too many options. There are approximately 5-6 guys that could see playing time at running back next season. Don’t believe me? Wayne Gallman, Tyshon Dye, C.J. Davidson, Adam Choice, Zac Brooks, and C.J. Fuller each could possibly see playing time next year and I would be surprised if we didn’t see each of them at some point during the season.

As I have said before, it will be a “shared position” and whoever has the hot hand game by game will be who sees snaps that particular Saturday, but here are your projections for the running back spot.

Projected Starter: Wayne Gallman

Obviously, the projected starter is none other than Wayne Gallman. Gallman had a very productive season as he caught on towards the end and finished as the team’s leading rusher. The redshirt Sophomore is expected to do great things this season and is considered by most to be one of the top running backs in the ACC this season.

Projected Two-Deep: Tyshon Dye

We only got to see flashes of what Tyshon Dye is capable of last season as he battled an injury to finally get playing time towards the end of the season. We saw just how good he could be when he rushed for 124 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia State, but he was still getting back into football shape before the season ended. He is one of the most physical backs on the team and when he gets going north and south, he is a hard guy to bring down. This season, I believe he will truly come into his own and show what we as fans and analysts have been waiting to see since he arrived on campus.

Player(s) to Watch: Adam Choice and Zac Brooks

There are two players to watch in the running back group and they are Adam Choice and Zac Brooks. Neither had the opportunity to participate fully in spring practice when it came around, but both are expected to be at 100% when fall camp comes around.

Brooks, the redshirt Junior, was expected to be the starter last year when he suffered a foot injury before the season began. He would have been an immediate contributor to the running back corp, but had to sit out due to injury.

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Choice, the true Sophomore out of Thomasville, Georgia, came onto the scene early in the year and began to get playing time immediately. He was looking really good when he had 77 all-purpose yards against N.C. State and then followed that performance up with a 61-yard rushing performance against Louisville. The next week, however, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear, but to that point was looking promising to be one of the major contributors in the Clemson running back group.

Both of these guys have had to overcome adversity, but both looked really good prior to those injuries. I believe either one of these two could burst on to the scene when fall camp comes around and it would not surprise me one bit if one or both were playing consistent snaps by the end of the season.

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