Clemson's Running Game Standing Out at Practice: Report

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The Clemson Tigers are going to need their running game to be at its best early in the regular season. 

The Tigers will start the regular season going on the road against LSU with an inexperienced starter at quarterback, either Christopher Vizzina or Tait Reynolds.

Clemson lost its lead rusher from 2025, as Adam Randall was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round. He rushed for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns on 16 carries. The next leading rusher was Gideon Davidson, who had 260 yards and no scores on 60 carries.

On the "Josh Pate's College Football Show" this week, the host said he's been hearing from sources that the ground game has looked strong in training camp.

"I hear promising things about the ground game," Pate said. 

Of course, it wouldn't just be the running back that would be the cause of a strong production in the running game. The offensive line must be coming along this summer, which would mean good things for the offense.

The Tigers need running backs Davidson, Chris Johnson Jr. and David Eziomume to play stronger as a trio than what the offense had last year. Randall was the main contributor.

Pate was critical about some of the issues the Tigers faced last season and suggested the roster this year was not as good on paper as the one that sent nine players to the draft this spring. Still, he thinks Clemson has potential and named a couple of standout players.

“I'm not trashing Clemson," Pate said. "There's a lot to like about this team. That wide receiver room is really, really good. 

"Will Heldt is one of the best edges in the country. They added good portal pieces in the secondary. I'd say Ashton Hampton, who's a homegrown guy, may be one of the best corners in the country this year."

Clemson could be getting back to its roots this year, relying on the defense to win games in tandem with a strong running game. Clemson has good receivers, but it could take a while before the quarterback play is where it needs to be for those playmakers to take the offense to the next level.

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