Clemson's Star Running Back Sets Lofty Goal to 'Leave a Mark' on This Program

Entering the upcoming season, the Clemson Tigers star running back is ready to leave his mark on the program with some lofty goals he has set for himself.

Clemson running back Phil Mafah (7) scored against Kentucky during the second quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, Friday, December 29, 2023. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

There are a lot of questions surrounding Clemson's offense heading into this year.

There were expectations that former five-star recruit and top-ranked quarterback in his recruiting class, Cade Klubnik, would become the signal caller like others in their past who have allowed this program to win two national championships under Dabo Swinney.

After taking over for the much-maligned DJ Uiagalelei in the 2022 ACC Championship Game, he performed well and seemed poised to become a star in his first full season as the starter last year.

Instead, he massively underperformed compared to expectations, which was one of the reasons why they failed to record double-digit wins.

While much of the attention is placed on how Klubnik might perform this year, the Tigers also have to replace their long-time running back Will Shipley who finished his career Top 10 in school history in total touchdowns (33) and all-purpose yards (4,253), before being taken in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Perhaps the lack of concern surrounding that position is because they have Phil Mafah ready for a much bigger role after recording 965 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season as the backup.

With him being the starter this year, he talked about his goals coming into the campaign.

"There's more to it than that, but yeah, definitely breaking 1,000 yards is one of my goals. This being my last year I just want to leave a mark on my teammates and my university," he said at the ACC Kickoff event.

Heading into his final collegiate year, he sits 23rd on Clemson's all-time rushing list with 1,772 yards, but if he does accomplish his goal by going over the 1,000-yard mark, then he would get into the Top 10 and even pass his old roommate Shipley.

No only could that be a possibility, but his goal might even be set too low.

Mufah talked about the offensive line, and his comments suggest he could be in for a monster season just based on how good they have looked in camp.

"They look amazing honestly. Matt Luke coming in here and just changing that O-Line. He's a great coach. Just having four starters back and having guys that have started games all back has been amazing ... Guys know what to do, know what to expect and I am just really excited to see what they are going to do," he said.