While Gideon Davidson has his breakout performance for Clemson, Chris Johnson Jr. was left on the bench versus North Carolina. Davidson had 16 carries for 105 yards and his first touchdown in a Clemson uniform. Johnson only got two carries for no yards in Clemson's Week 3 ACC home win over North Carolina. Although he did help out on special teams, Dabo Swinney was not having it with him.
"He went in and bounced it outside on a play that's supposed to go inside. I just wasn't going to watch it anymore. I'm trying to win a game," Swinney explained why Johnson was benched in Week 3. "If he wants to play, he's got to do what he's supposed to do. It's just really that simple. He was impactful in winning the game at kickoff return. We know what he can do, but he's got to play within the scheme."
While Johnson seemed to be on Swinney's good side for a minute, that no longer seems to be the case. The SMU transfer came to Clemson to finally get the most out of his talent. Although Swinney did say that all of the running backs on this team will help Clemson win games, his decision to put Johnson on ice with the game quickly getting out of hand was a bold, and honestly, cocky maneuver.
Dabo Swinney on benching Chris Johnson Jr. after 2 plays vs. UNC pic.twitter.com/T6R1VtnZLG
— Grant Reacts (@GrantReacts1) September 22, 2026
Dabo Swinney did not need to throw a transfer portal RB under the bus
Even if Johnson proves to be a mercurial talent, how Swinney handled the matter in Tuesday's press conference may not land well with prospective transfer portal recruits. This may be Johnson's third team in as many years, but getting openly chastised like this in front of the local media is not a good look for anyone. We can only hope that Swinney and Johnson got on the same page before this clip.
With Clemson struggling to land high school juniors to build any sort of foundation for its 2028 class, every comment Swinney makes matters. If Clemson is unable to run the football against Cal on Friday night, do not be shocked if that continues versus juggernaut Miami in two weeks. Clemson might be playing with some momentum, but all the pressure is on the Tigers to win this next game over at Cal.
Truth be told, Johnson was not the only Clemson running back Swinney mostly put on ice in this one. Jarvis Green only had five carries for 22 yards on the day due in large part to his first-half fumble. Clemson did rush the football 36 times. While that number may be much to offensive coordinator Chad Morris' liking, 27 of those carries belonged to either Davidson and quarterback Tait Reynolds.
Simply put, Swinney does not have enough talent on his team to put players who could potentially help him win games in the doghouse. He did say the offensive line needs to block better, which has been a season-long issue so far for the Tigers. Since it is easier to single out one running back than an entire offensive line unit, Swinney chose to go in the direction that he did. Hopefully, it works out.
With Davidson only just now playing like a lead back, Clemson does not have the depth that it needs.
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