Clemson Football

On the strength of four rushing touchdowns by running back Phil Mafah and 28 fourth-quarter points, the Clemson Tigers came from behind to beat the Kentucky Wildcats 38-35 in the 2023 Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, on Friday.

Clemson trailed 21-10 entering the fourth quarter, but it scored 17 unanswered points to take the lead and twice struck back after Kentucky took back the lead during the final frame.

Mafah scored three of his four touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner from three yards out with 17 seconds remaining, and he finished the contest with 68 yards on 11 carries to go along with his four scores.

The fourth quarter was among the wildest in bowl history, as it featured 42 total points scored, five lead changes and five turnovers.

Entering Friday's game, Mafah led the Tigers with 894 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns on the season, but he essentially split carries with Will Shipley.

Fans praised Mafah on X, formerly known as Twitter, for his efforts in the Gator Bowl, but many also questioned why head coach Dabo Swinney didn't feature him more heavily all season long:

Shocking what happens when Mafah gets the ball

— Clemson Bagman (@ExcessDepth) December 29, 2023

Shocker: running the ball with Mafah works. Tigers up 27-21.

— ClemsonSportsNetwork (@ClemsonSportNet) December 29, 2023

Love Mafah! Badly want him back next year. Best skill position player!

— Ryan Kantor (@ryan_kantor) December 29, 2023

Mafah takes 1 play to score and its like,,, why doesn't he just take a direct snap every play at this point

— JohnnyTClemson (@JohnnyTClemson) December 29, 2023

https://twitter.com/Immaculate_dee/status/1740824795007357040

Imagine had we ran Mafah in the red zone all season

— Clemson zilla (@Clemson_Yoda) December 29, 2023

Phil Mafah made him a lot of money by playing in this bowl game, Go get paid young man.

— CFBLIVE247™ (@CFBLive247_) December 29, 2023

EVERYONE WATCHING PHIL MAFAH 😱 pic.twitter.com/K9mu31tuKE

— betr (@betr) December 29, 2023

Phil Mafah is a bad, bad man!

— Kristin Lloyd (@KristinLloydPhD) December 29, 2023

While Mafah only carried the ball 11 times in Friday's game, the coaching staff's belief in him was evident in the fourth quarter.

After Clemson recovered a fumble deep in Kentucky territory, Mafah ran for a 29-yard touchdown on the Tigers' first play from scrimmage on the next drive to put them ahead:

This is @PhilMafah1's THIRD (!!!) touchdown of the day 🤯 pic.twitter.com/N8umRwsW5V

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 29, 2023

On Clemson's final drive aside from taking a knee, quarterback Cade Klubnik calmly drove the offense 68 yards in just over two minutes, but it was Mafah who punctuated the drive.

Despite the fact that there were only 21 seconds remaining and Clemson had just one timeout left, Klubnik handed the ball to Mafah, and he scored from three yards out, giving the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish:

.@PhilMafah1 cannot be stopped pic.twitter.com/2GX326ikfk

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) December 29, 2023

Mafah's dominance and a bevy of fourth-quarter turnovers by Kentucky spoiled an excellent performance by wide receiver Barion Brown, who scored in three different ways.

Brown had four receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown, plus two carries for 26 yards and a touchdown. He also opened the second half with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown.

By virtue of Friday's win, Clemson finished the season 9-4, giving it at least nine wins in 13 consecutive seasons. The Tigers have also now won 11 of their past 16 bowl games under Swinney's leadership.

As for the Wildcats, they dropped to 7-6 with the loss, marking the second straight season they lost a bowl game and finished one game above .500.

HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 294

HAND: 9⅜"

ARM: 34"

WINGSPAN: 79½"

---

40-YARD DASH: 4.89

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE:

VERTICAL: 32"

BROAD: 9'8"

---

POSITIVES

— Good blend of size, strength and athleticism to give him a high ceiling at the next level.

— Has an impressive get-off with really good acceleration off the line of scrimmage to get penetration in the backfield.

— Takes on blocks with good leverage and has the upper-body strength to get extension against offensive linemen and snap their heads back on the point of contact. Hard to move with one-on-one blocks, too.

— Runs his feet and has the agility to avoid getting reached.

— As a pass-rusher, he's an impressive bull-rusher with good hand placement, leverage and leg drive to collapse the pocket.

— Has flashed the strength and hip mobility to develop a push-pull move.

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NEGATIVES

— When working pass-rush moves other than a bull rush, he's still learning how to use his hands and ends up chest-to-chest with offensive linemen too much. That currently limits his pass-rush arsenal.

— Will get kicked inside by double-teams as he doesn't anticipate them well and his lower-body strength isn't as impressive as his upper body.

— Also struggles to fight back against pressure when slanting puts him out of position.

— Needs to be more violent when getting off blocks as guards will hang onto him.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 25 TOT, 8.0 TFL, 5.0 SK, 1 PD

---

NOTES

— Born Oct. 13, 2001

— 3-star recruit in 2019 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2023 (Offseason shoulder surgery, missed spring practice), 2020 (Knee meniscus surgery, missed 8 games)

— Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, and only played high school football for two years

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OVERALL

Ruke Orhorhoro fits the description of a high-ceiling NFL draft prospect to a T. His combination of strength and athleticism is evident on film, and he's still relatively new to the game having grown up in Nigeria before moving to Michigan. He was primarily a basketball player before hitting the gridiron for the first time as a junior in high school.

Against the run, Orhorhoro only has a few flaws in his game. He takes on blocks with good leverage and has the upper-body strength to not only gain control of the block but also snap the heads back of offensive linemen. Also, his agility allows him to avoid getting reached.

He just needs to work on getting off blocks to increase production, but the foundation is certainly there.

The Tiger is a little more limited as a pass-rusher, though. He has a decent bull rush that should translate to the NFL, but he needs to develop another move beyond that. A big reason for that is he's still learning to use his hands; however, Orhorhoro did get much better at playing the hands after contact as this past season went on.

So, between his athleticism and growth, the Clemson product could become a more productive pass-rusher in the pros than he was in college.

Schematically, Orhorhoro is pretty versatile. He could play as a 4i- to 5-technique in odd fronts or as a 3-technique in even fronts, though he may need to put a few more pounds on to be a perfect fit in the latter.

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GRADE: 7.5 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 36

POSITION RANK: DL3

PRO COMPARISON: David Onyemata

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 301

HAND: 9¼"

ARM: 31⅜"

WINGSPAN: 75"

---

40-YARD DASH: 5.02

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE: 5.00

VERTICAL: 28.5"

BROAD: 9'0"

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POSITIVES

— Has a nice get-off. Quick to react to the snap and accelerates off the ball well.

— Impressive strength at the point of attack. Has plenty of pop in his hands to stun offensive linemen and gain control of the block against the run.

— Hard to move with one-on-one base blocks as a run defender.

— Effective when slanting, as he keeps his feet moving on contact and uses his hands well to keep offensive linemen off his body and make tackles near the line scrimmage.

— Solid bull rush to collapse the pocket against guards with a weaker base.

---

NEGATIVES

— Has a long injury history. Missed several games between 2020 and 2022.

— Appears to have shorter arms, limiting how much extension he can get against offensive linemen. Lacks the ideal length as a whole for an NFL defensive tackle.

— Subpar uses of hands and athleticism will limit his effectiveness as a pass-rusher at the next level.

— Gets caught off-guard by down blocks and will get kicked inside.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 13 G, 34 TOT, 3.5 TFL, 0.5 SK

---

NOTES

— Born Nov. 1, 2000

— 4-star recruit in 2019 class, per 247Sports

— Injuries: 2022 (Undisclosed, missed 2 games), 2021 (Torn bicep, missed 3 games), 2020 (MCL sprain, missed 2 games; Ankle, missed 3 games)

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OVERALL

Tyler Davis is a good run defender whose strength at the point of attack stands out on film. He stuns offensive linemen at the line of scrimmage with impressive pop in his hands and can disrupt their path to the second level to help free up linebackers. He also keeps his feet moving on contact, making it hard to move him when he sees the block coming.

However, Davis does appear to have shorter arms, which limits how much extension he can get against offensive linemen and might be a bigger problem in the NFL. He's also undersized for the position. Clemson lists him at 6'2", so his measurements at the combine will be key to his evaluation.

Davis is an OK bull-rusher who can collapse the pocket against weaker guards, but he doesn't have the top-end power to win against stronger linemen. While he's flashed a couple of counter moves like a rip or swim off the bull rush, his subpar use of hands and athleticism limit his pass-rush arsenal.

Davis is likely going to be more of a two-down player in the NFL and will have to overcome some size limitations, but he can be a quality rotational interior defender as either a 3-technique in even fronts or a 4i-technique in odd fronts.

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GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 116

POSITION RANK: DL13

PRO COMPARISON: Sheldon Day

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

The transfer portal has been one of the primary focuses of the college football world since the end of the regular season, and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is concerned with one issue in particular.

"The problem is tampering," he said during a Gator Bowl press conference with Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops, per David Hale of ESPN. "And we could fix it easily if they'd let football people fix it. But they usually don't listen to us."

Hale noted Clemson has eight players in the portal, while Kentucky has 13.

Both coaches pointed to specific position groups that will be quite thin for the Dec. 29 game, while Swinney joked he may have to suit up at defensive back. Safety Andrew Mukuba and cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. are in the portal, while cornerback Nate Wiggins might not play so he can prepare for the NFL draft.

This is the third straight season Clemson missed the College Football Playoff after making it the previous six years.

Swinney has been criticized at times for his reluctance to embrace the portal as his program took something of a step back the past three seasons. Yet Hale pointed out he said he will likely be more active this offseason.

"It's a two-way street," Swinney said. "You can like people all you want but they have to like you too.

"We will fill our roster when it's all said and done. We don't have a lot of spots open. We really like the guys coming in in our recruiting class. Potentially a couple of spots we have to fill so we'll see how it goes."

The 30-day winter transfer portal will be open until Jan. 2, 2024, and there were already more than 2,000 players in the portal as of Thursday.

A number of those players were high-profile ones, including Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen, Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward, Duke quarterback Riley Leonard and Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord.

It is the new reality of college football, and coaches and programs will have to adjust their approaches as they attempt to navigate it.

But Swinney believes those approaches should not include active tampering with players already on other rosters, especially outside the official portal windows.

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 228

HAND: 9¼"

ARM: 31½"

WINGSPAN: 74¾"

---

40-YARD DASH:

3-CONE: 7.13

SHUTTLE: 4.4

VERTICAL:

BROAD:

---

POSITIVES

— Good speed and overall athleticism for the position.

— Has good eye discipline and reads the quarterback's eyes well in zone coverage to go along with the movement skills to tighten throwing windows.

— Impressive hand-eye coordination to bat passes at the line of scrimmage or get pass breakups in coverage.

— Sideline-to-sideline-type range against outside runs with his speed and agility.

— Can bring the wood when coming downhill.

— Good blitzer who can contribute as a pass-rusher.

---

NEGATIVES

— Has a weak base against the run. Struggles to hold ground when taking on blocks from offensive linemen.

— Likes to duck underneath/avoid blocks in the ground game and will get caught by athletic offensive linemen, leaving his gap open.

— Will leave his feet and lunge to make open-field tackles, leading to misses.

— Freezes when reading mesh concepts in coverage and ends up being late to his assignment.

---

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 88 TOT, 15 TFL, 5.5 SK, 2. INT, 1 TD, 5 PD, 2 FF

---

NOTES

— Born Dec. 24, 2002

— 4-star recruit in 2021 class, per 247Sports

— Father, Jeremiah Sr., had a 12-year NFL career as a linebacker; was a two-time All-Pro with the Philadelphia Eagles

— No major injuries

---

OVERALL

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has a lot of skills that will help him impact the passing game in the NFL. He's pretty athletic and anticipates throws well by reading the quarterback's eyes, making him a good middle hook defender in zone coverage. His athletic ability also helps him win as a pass-rusher, as he's been highly productive in that regard for an off-ball linebacker.

The biggest issue with Trotter's game is that he could use some work against the run. He typically won't be able to stack and shed against offensive linemen since he lacks the strength to take on their blocks. As a result, he'll often try to slip blocks and can get caught doing so, leaving gaps wide open.

With that being said, the Clemson product can lay the wood on ball-carriers when coming downhill. And while he did struggle with missed tackles at the beginning of this season, he improved down the stretch.

Schematically, Trotter would be best as a "Will" linebacker and could play "Mike" if he gets stronger at the point of attack.

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GRADE: 7.1 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 77

POSITION RANK: LB2

PRO COMPARISON: Patrick Queen

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

As the college football regular season comes to a close, a lot of attention will start to be directed towards the offseason's coaching cycle, particularly the Texas A&M job.

And as the Aggies continue their search for their next head man following the firing of Jimbo Fisher, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has emerged as a potential candidate for the job, according to the Houston Chronicle's Brett Zwerneman.

Swinney has been with the Tigers since midway through the 2009 season.

A two-time national champion, Swinney is considered one of the better college football coaches of this generation and has turned the Tigers into a true perennial power over the past decade.

Swinney has amassed a 168-43 record since taking over at Clemson. This season has been. a bit of a disappointment, with a 7-4 record going into Saturday night's game against South Carolina.

He hadn't loss four games since the 2011 campaign.

If Texas A&M wants Swinney, it'll be a costly proposition for both sides as the 54-year-old agreed to a contract last year that pays him $10.5 million per season through the 2031 campaign.

A&M is already paying a record $76 million buyout after firing Fisher.

But the Aggies have shown time and time again that cost is no obstacle and athletic director Ross Bjork said as much. He revealed that the program intends to offer a heavily incentivized contract to whomever replaces Fisher—who went 45-25 in six seasons.

Ohio State's Ryan Day, Arizona's Jedd Fisch, Duke's Mike Elko, Washington's Kalen DeBoer, UTSA's Jeff Traylor and Nebraska's Matt Rhule are all potential candidates as well.

Clemson football head coach Dabo Swinney is riding the high of a huge 31-23 upset win over No. 12 Notre Dame on Saturday, as evidenced by his postgame comments to ESPN's Molly McGrath:

"If Clemson's a stock, you better buy all you freakin' can buy right now!"

Dabo was FIRED UP after taking down No. 15 Notre Dame 🗣 pic.twitter.com/chfM7Oo66V

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 4, 2023

The Tigers have endured a rough season that saw the team enter Saturday with a 4-4 overall record and a 2-4 ACC mark. Preseason expectations placed Clemson at No. 9 in the Associated Press poll.

Clemson hasn't lived up to those expectations, but a big win over Notre Dame at least brings some hope for a brighter future.

Amid the team's struggles, Swinney recently made comments (h/t Christina Long of the Greenville News) about needing to "lighten up the bandwagon."

"If you don't go undefeated, people say you're losers, that you're terrible," Swinney said. "It's such a terrible mindset. And honestly, maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon. Sometimes the bandwagon can get a little too full. That's the one good thing about going through a little so-called adversity. You really find out who's with you and who's not."

Clemson probably did just that with losses in its next two games to Miami and NC State after the bandwagon remarks. But there's room there now for people to get back on and buy some stock, apparently, after the Notre Dame victory.

Clemson has running back Phil Mafah (186 rushing yards, two touchdowns) and a tremendous pass defense (two interceptions of Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman and no passing touchdowns allowed) to thank for that.

It's certainly been a trying season for Clemson, but the Notre Dame win could at least give the Tigers some momentum to finish strong. The Tigers close with home games against Georgia Tech and North Carolina at home before visiting South Carolina to wrap up the regular season.

A win in any of those contests makes Clemson eligible for a bowl.

The Clemson Tigers have struggled to a 4-4 record this season, but head coach Dabo Swinney told reporters Tuesday that he isn't letting the critics "steal my joy."

Swinney said in response to a question about the difference between fair and unfair criticism, per ESPN's David Hale:

I've got a long way to go in this profession. f they want me back here, I'm going to fight like crap to get this back to the standard.

But I'm not going to let anything steal my joy of what I do. It doesn't mean I'm happy, but I've got a lot of joy in what I do. I'm not going to let winning become a relief. I'm not going to allow that to happen. The fun should be in the winning, and if it gets to where it's not fun anymore, hey, we'll go from there.

Swinney's comments come after he told reporters earlier this month that fans have become too unappreciative of winning.

"We're at a point where If you don't go undefeated—you are losers, you're terrible .... and that is just such a terrible mindset," Swinney said at the time. "Honestly, maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon. Sometimes the bandwagon can get a little too full."

Clemson had a long run of success that spanned more than a decade thanks to the likes of star quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. The two led the Tigers into the College Football Playoff each season between the 2015-2020 campaigns.

Watson helped Clemson win the national title during the 2016 season, and Lawrence followed that up with another championship for the Tigers during the 2018 campaign.

Since then, fans have developed an expectation of winning, but Clemson has seen its quarterback room regress over the last few seasons. The program has relied on DJ Uiagalelei and more recently Cade Klubnik under center.

Klubnik led Clemson to a 4-2 start this season, but he and the Tigers have received immense criticism following back-to-back losses to the Miami Hurricanes and NC State Wolfpack over the last two weeks.

With a berth in the CFP out of the picture for Clemson, it's probably time for fans to temper their expectations.

Clemson's ongoing downward trend took quite the turn Monday.

Dabo Swinney got into a fiery exchange with a fan who called into his radio show and questioned the head coach's $11.5 million salary during a terrible start to the season for the Tigers.

"To answer your question, I started as the lowest-paid coach in this freaking business," Swinney said. "And I'm where I am because I've worked my ass off every single day. And I ain't gonna let some smart-ass kid get on this phone and create this stuff. So if you've got a problem with that, I don't care."

Griffin McVeigh of On 3 noted that was in reference to Swinney being among the lowest-paid head coaches in college football when he initially took over the position in 2008 after he was the assistant head coach and wide receiver coach.

The head coach didn't stop there and told the fan he was "part of the problem" and should apply for the position himself if he wanted it.

While Swinney deserves plenty of credit for building Clemson into a national powerhouse with two College Football Playoff titles and eight ACC championships during his tenure, things have been going in the wrong direction of late.

The Tigers lost a combined seven games in six seasons from 2015 through 2020 but lost three games in 2021 and three more games in 2022. If fans were frustrated with back-to-back three-loss campaigns that included a Cheez-It Bowl appearance, they certainly aren't pleased with a 4-4 start to a 2023 season that might not even feature a bowl game without a quick turnaround.

Throw in Swinney's reluctance to embrace the transfer portal in the modern-era of college football, his previous critical comments about players being paid and his feuds with fans this year, and frustration is building around the program.

This isn't even the first time Swinney has seemingly gone after fans this season, as he told reporters earlier this month "maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon. Sometimes the bandwagon can get a little too full."

There was a time when Swinney was fighting with the likes of Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia and others for national championships. Now he is fighting his own fanbase as he tries to salvage enough wins in a season to qualify for the Sun Bowl.

Clemson's football program has seemingly always had high expectations, but head coach Dabo Swinney thinks the 2023 campaign has brought with it unrealistic expectations for the Tigers.

"We're at a point where If you don't go undefeated—you are losers, you're terrible .... and that is just such a terrible mindset," Swinney told reporters Tuesday. "Honestly, maybe we need to lose a few games and lighten up the bandwagon. Sometimes the bandwagon can get a little too full."

Clemson has seen the likes of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence saunter through its quarterback room and lead the Tigers into the College Football Playoff between the 2015-2020 seasons.

Watson led Clemson to a national title during the 2016 season and Lawrence delivered the program another championship during the 2018 campaign.

Clemson fans were spoiled going from Watson to Lawrence as they seemingly didn't know what it was like to lose and miss the college football playoff over the span of six seasons.

Since then, the program has seen DJ Uiagalelei and more recently Cade Klubnik lead the offense.

During the 2021 season, Uiagalelei led the Tigers to a 10-3 finish and a win in the Cheez-It Bowl. In 2022, he led Clemson to an 11-3 record before Klubnik was inserted during a loss in the Orange Bowl.

Through the opening weeks of the 2023 campaign, Klubnik has lead the Tigers to a 4-2 record. The team's only losses have come to No. 4 Florida State and No. 16 Duke.

Swinney told reporters that he's "not satisfied" with being 4-2. However, he added that "a little adversity in this world is sometimes good, because, for a couple of reasons, I think sometimes you can win so much you lose appreciation for the blessing."

The Tigers have some big matchups remaining on their schedule in No. 15 Notre Dame, No. 10 UNC and unranked South Carolina. If they reach 10 wins again and clinch a berth in a bowl game, there's no reason for fans to dub the season a disappointment.

Clemson will be back in action on Saturday against the Miami Hurricanes.