After toiling in the shadows of Will Shipley his first couple of seasons at Clemson, Phil Mafah got an opportunity to play a more prominent role in the Tigers backfield last year. And Mafah didn’t waste his chance. The bruising back from Loganville, Georgia, rushed for nearly a thousand yards with 13 touchdowns. In the Tigers’ Gator Bowl win over Kentucky, he was unstoppable, scoring four times, including the game winner in the final seconds.
This year, the backfield will belong to him.
With Will Shipley off to the NFL, Mafah is expected to be the lead back as the Tigers open the season later this month against Georgia. After outpacing Shipley in rushing yards and touchdowns a year ago, he’s been named to the Doak Walker Award watch list, which is given annually to the nation’s most outstanding running back.
On Monday, Mafah visited with the media to recap the first couple of days of preseason camp and to discuss his new role as the “guy” in Clemson’s backfield.