Clemson football 2021 predictions: Which freshman scores a TD first?

The Clemson football team will open up the 2021 season in less than two months against the Georgia Bulldogs in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The matchup is set to be one of the most-hyped regular season games in the history of College Football and for good reason. Both Clemson and Georgia will come into the game ranked inside the top-five in the nation and both have high hopes at competing for a National Championship this season.

Before the season starts, though, we at Rubbing the Rock are going to look at some fun ‘prop bets’ with some preseason predictions.

Preseason Prediction: Phil Mafah is the first Clemson football freshman to score a touchdown

When looking at which freshman might get into the end zone first, the easy name would be 5-star RB Will Shipley.

Shipley will be entrenched in the running back rotation and may even line up in the slot every now and then because of his versatility and play-making ability. We can also look at the three freshmen wide receivers- Dacari Collins, Beaux Collins and Troy Stellato- as potential options but I’m choosing to go with Phil Mafah.

In my opinion, Clemson is going to have a four-headed rushing attack in the form of Lyn-J Dixon, Kobe Pace, Phil Mafah and Will Shipley.

It’s the obvious pick to think that Shipley is going to be the first to reach the end zone, but when you look at the skill sets of both Shipley and Mafah, it might very well be Mafah who gets the first crack at it.

Let’s say we get to the second game of the season where the Tigers are play S.C. State. As the game progresses and we start to see more and more underclassmen in the game, couldn’t you see a situation where Shipley is in the game at the start of the drive but it’s Mafah- the powerful and explosive runner- who is in the backfield once the Tigers get inside the red-zone? If the Tigers are in a goal line situation, wouldn’t you expect that it’s Mafah- between the two freshmen- who gets the carry?

It’s just a guess, but I’ve got a feeling that Mafah will be the first Clemson football freshman to score a touchdown.