Former Clemson RB Phil Mafah says he considered transfer, SEC schools reached out |
Brandon Rink
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- Sunday, March 02 2025
Former Clemson running back Phil Mafah says he was contacted by SEC schools regarding a transfer and even contemplated such a move in the middle of his Tigers career.
Mafah said on a podcast recently that he considered a move after getting under eight carries a game for 515 total rushing yards in his sophomore campaign. "Yeah, for sure," Mafah said recently when asked if there was tampering in his time at Clemson. "Actually after my sophomore year, I was thinking about transferring and Auburn had a lot of interest, UGA, Tennessee -- really all the SEC schools...(I felt that way) just because I thought I could have played more. Especially after my sophomore year. I was just mad, honestly. We had just lost to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, and I was like, 'Man, I'm trying to win.' But a lot of thought came into it, and I decided to stay." Mafah said that a change in the offensive coaching staff and a look into the future guided his standing pat in Clemson after that 2022 season. "Not even being a solo back, I just wasn't getting enough carries," Mafah said when asked if he just wanted to be the No. 1 running back. "I felt like we could have a two-back system for both of the backs to eat, but I felt like it wasn't that. So we actually got a new offensive coordinator, that went into it (staying). Another thing that went into it was just Clemson as a school. At Clemson we have something called PAW Journey, and it's just focusing on developing us as men and the business world and connections, and I felt like that's something I can't get nowhere else. "I felt like it's actually family there. My cousin goes to UGA and he tells me that they don't got a (team) banquet there. At Clemson, we do all that stuff. Coach (Swinney) really cares about that and the people there really care about you. So, I feel like that's something you can't replicate somewhere else." Mafah was in Indianapolis last week for the NFL Scouting Combine, but working his way back from a shoulder injury last season, he did not compete in drills and should get his next big opportunity at Clemson Pro Day on March 13. More from the podcast:
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