Not all decisions have to be hard ones. Dabo Swinney has to trust his gut and go with Gideon Davidson over Chris Johnson Jr. as Clemson's lead back.
Davidson only has a handful of carries under his belt, but the upside is certainly there for the former four-star recruit out of Lynchburg, Va. As the season went along, he got more touches as a true freshman, finishing his first year at Clemson with 260 rushing yards on 60 attempts. Although he has yet to hit pay dirt for the Tigers, Davidson has left an indelible impression on Swinney so far.
Swinney said as much when discussing the starting running back race between him and Johnson.
"It starts with Gideon. He's done a great job," Swinney said."
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney says sophomore RB Gideon Davidson will operate as their lead back as 2026 fall camp begins. Dabo: "It starts with Gideon. He's done a great job." Says he likes the overall depth of the group, which also includes SMU transfer RB Chris Johnson Jr.
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) August 6, 2026
If this is the direction Swinney wishes to go in, then it brings into question why Johnson transferred over from SMU in the first place. Clemson is now the third ACC team Johnson has played for. He spent last year in Dallas playing for Rhett Lashlee. Prior to that, he served as a deep backup for Shannon Dawson's offense at Miami. He only had 84 carries to his name in three years.
There may be more touches available for Johnson at Clemson, but Davidson will still likely get more.
Starting Gideon Davidson will put Christopher Vizzina in the best place to succeed
Clemson has been a late adapter to the transfer portal. While getting a hungry player in-conference in Johnson is wonderful, homegrown products eat first in Death Valley. Davidson was a player Clemson prioritized out of high school. Johnson comes to the Tigers after three years of playing ACC football elsewhere. That should matter, because this is Clemson.
If the Tigers are going to get out of their rut, it will be because of the belief they have in themselves. Being part of the Clemson family is special. While newcomers will be welcomed in eventually, Davidson has paid his dues more so than Johnson has.
In this day and age of college football, it is imperative to have multiple running backs you can lean on. The era of the bell-cow back is over. Both Davidson and Johnson will get plenty of carries at the top of the Clemson depth chart, but one will always get more.
The other thing to keep in mind is Clemson will be ushering in a new starting quarterback. While Christopher Vizzina has one of the better receiving corps in the country, he has just one start to his name as a college quarterback.
This is why picking the right featured back is so crucial for Clemson. The Tigers have to put Vizzina, or potentially even true freshman Tait Reynolds, into an advantageous position to succeed. Right now, Swinney needs to be firm in his convictions. This does not mean being stubborn, but rather, being confident. Sometimes, those lines get blurred.
We have seen Swinney be at the top of his game not that long ago. However, the game has changed multiple times over since Clemson last won a national title. The Tigers have not gotten the right kind of quarterback play they need since Trevor Lawrence turned pro. At least with Vizzina, he has a chance to be better than Cade Klubnik.
Ultimately, this year's team will be about surrounding Vizzina with the right supporting cast to be successful. There are plenty of high-quality pieces on this Clemson roster. Some will get quality playing time, but not all will. So if Swinney has a leaning one way or another, he needs to give into it, and be totally honest with himself about it.
There will be plenty of opportunities to give Johnson the rock, but now is the time to trust Davidson.
Add us as a preferred source on Google