Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney has made his thoughts abundantly clear on the team's running back situation.
During the offseason, the Clemson Tigers made what just about everyone considered to be a terrific move, poaching running back Chris Johnson Jr. in the transfer portal.
Johnson had previously played for Miami and SMU, with the bulk of his production coming with the Mustangs last season when he rushed for 479 yards and four touchdowns on 7.1 yards per carry. He also logged 17 catches for 180 yards and a score.
Clemson found out the hard way just how explosive Johnson can be when the Tigers met SMU last October. During that game, Johnson carried the ball six times for 59 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 40 yards.
But it seems very evident that Gideon Davidson is the top rusher in Clemson's backfield.
Davidson racked up 130 yards on 18 carries in the Tigers' win over North Carolina on Saturday, while Johnson toted the rock just twice for zero yards.
Dabo Swinney also just made it abundantly clear that while he feels Johnson has value as a returner, he doesn't think Johnson quite gets it as a running back just yet.
Swinney specifically said that Johnson isn't playing as fast as he should, which is absolutely problematic for a running back who relies heavily on his burst.
Perhaps that could come down the line. Maybe as Johnson gets more accustomed to the new offense, he will feel more comfortable and begin utilizing his explosiveness more. Much like he did at SMU last season.
Or, perhaps he'll stay in Swinney's doghouse and never really find a way out. At least in terms of consistent offensive snaps.
Davidson was always going to be the favorite to win the featured back job, but things appeared to be closer in the spring and fall camp. Johnson seemed guaranteed to have a rather expansive role in Clemson's offense.
Obviously, that hasn't happened over the course of the first three weeks, as he has amassed a grand total of 53 yards on 12 carries ... and all of those yards came in Week 2 against Georgia Southern.
You get the feeling that the Tigers will need production from Johnson at some point. They don't really have any other enticing options in the backfield right now, and Davidson does need a complement. That should be Johnson.
But whether or not Swinney ever trusts him enough to hand him the ball regularly remains to be seen.
