Clemson RB Gideon Davidson earns high praise with Travis Etienne comparison

As April approaches, the end of spring ball is near, with Clemson's spring game on April 5.

The spring game this year won't be televised unfortunately, but fans can still listen to the game on the radio and there may be a name that gets mentioned a lot during the broadcast: Gideon Davidson.

The freshman running back was a top-70 recruit in the 2025 class and he's expected to come in and have a major impact on the Tigers. He will have to fight for reps, but the excitement surrounding him is much-deserved, especially when you listen to the coaching staff and his teammates speak about him.

First, it was Dabo Swinney praising the young running back, saying that he's "impressive" and "further along than I thought he'd be" also stating that he doesn't look like a freshman.

Then, on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Garrett Riley praised the first-year back, calling him a "cutter", a "violent runner", and a "natural".

The praise didn't stop there, though.

Adam Randall said that Davidson is going to be great if he continues on the path that he's on and David Eziomume chimed in that the freshman running back reminds him of Travis Etienne. This is some incredible praise for a running back that has yet to play a snap of college football.

But, hey, if everyone is high on this kid, maybe we need to raise our expectations for him.

Davidson is going to have to work his way into the rotation, but it sounds like he has what it takes to have an immediate impact in 2025.