The "Forgotten" Backfield Battle
In the age of the transfer portal, it has become easy for “available” talent to be bypassed and overlooked. Dabo Swinney took the initiative to highlight two running backs who spent most of last year on the shelf: Jarvis Green and Jay Haynes.
“It’s easy to get forgotten when you’re not available,” Swinney said. “But sooner or later, if they’re talented, that talent is going to shine through. That’s really kind of Jarvis’s story right now.”
Swinney said Green was “a natural runner with great vision and contact balance” who was trending upward before he got hurt. Likewise, Jay Haynes — cleared for full contact for the first time since the 2024 SMU game — is a player staff members are “really high on.”
Haynes climbed as high as number two on the depth chart during his freshman year, Swinney said, but a “really bad injury” in the championship game stalled his momentum.
They are going to be playing in a backfield that Swinney describes as “very productive,” with Gideon Davidson and SMU transfer Chris Johnson Jr., who Swinney said averaged 10 yards a carry against the Tigers last season. With Phil Mafah gone, the competition for the "RB1" and "RB2" spots will be one of the most physical battles this spring.
“We got a little more feel for Jarvis because I saw him the back end of last season,” Swinney said. “Jay is just now really fully cleared to go... It’s a ton of competition.”