Clemson Football: 5 position battles to watch in spring 2020

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 21: A general view of the Clemson Tigers' football game against the Charlotte 49ers at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 21: A general view of the Clemson Tigers' football game against the Charlotte 49ers at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers runs the ball against Jacob Phillips #6 of the LSU Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 13: Travis Etienne #9 of the Clemson Tigers runs the ball against Jacob Phillips #6 of the LSU Tigers in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

4. RB Pecking Order

When Travis Etienne announced his return, we immediately saw that the running back room would be a little more crowded than previously expected.

Clemson will return Etienne, Lyn-J Dixon, Michel Dukes, Chez Mellusi and Darien Rencher from last season with incoming freshmen 5-star Demarkcus Bowman and 4-star Kobe Pryor joining the team later this summer.

The pecking order behind Etienne will be defined this spring and could very well result in a transfer. Look for there to be major competition among these veterans- especially in the 3-deep behind Dixon- as they look to gain reps and earn playing time on the field before the freshmen arrive.