Clemson Football: Running Back pecking order intriguing following spring

The Clemson football running back room is one of the deepest in the nation. Following the spring, here’s a look at our projections for the position.

There’s no doubt that Travis Etienne is the starter for Clemson football at running back.

Etienne, who is coming off a dominant sophomore season, returns with an opportunity to etch his name in the history books with a good year.

Currently, Etienne is just 1,543 yards away from becoming the all-time leading rusher in Clemson football history. He also needs just 11 touchdowns to surpass the record for most rushing touchdowns, a mark set by James Davis a little more than a decade ago.

Outside of Etienne, the Tigers have some other talented options.

Clemson enters the 2019 season with Etienne, Tavien Feaster (a former 5-star), Lyn-J Dixon (a former 4-star) and Darien Rencher in its backfield. 4-star freshman Chez Mellusi will also join the group later this summer.

How will the pecking order be defined? Here’s a look at our projections for the position following the spring.

Running Back Order:

Starter: Travis Etienne

• Tavien Feaster or
• Lyn-J Dixon
• Darien Rencher
• Chez Mellusi

The Tigers will have five guys that are capable of running the ball effectively. I expect Etienne to be the starter, as stated above.

After Etienne, I think you will see the Tigers elect to go with a co-backup look as they have in the past. Tavien Feaster and Lyn-J Dixon both bring different aspects of the game to the Tigers. Feaster is a more experienced pass-blocker and pass-catcher.

Dixon may be the best pure-runner in the entire backfield. Both guys can be extremely explosiveness, but it seems that Dixon has another level.

Rencher and Mellusi will battle for the fourth spot on the depth chart later this fall, but the veteran is entrenched in that spot for now.