CJ Spiller
Spiller is one of the guys who have drawn criticism to Swinney’s staff. He had little experience when Swinney shifted Tony Elliott from running backs to tight ends so Spiller could join the staff. He had one season as an analyst at Clemson and no experience as an on-the-field assistant coach.
Spiller has taken his lumps. He wasn’t very successful in the first couple of recruiting cycles under his watch. The running back room was considered dysfunctional in 2021.
Once a few of the players who were hurting the locker room moved on, that 2021 group got better, albeit they were very young. Spiller did a good job developing both Will Shipley and Phil Mafah despite the previously mentioned issues that plagued the offensive line in the last few seasons.
Spiller has also turned things around on the recruiting trail. Not only did he do a great scouting job to identify top 2024 target David Eziomume, but he closed on him and kept him committed. For an encore, he landed one of the top running backs in the Class of 2025 very early (Gideon Davidson).
With Mafah potentially poised for a breakout season and Eziomume and Davidson on deck, Spiller’s star could be ready to rise quickly.
Next: Mike Reed