Clemson currently has 10 commitments in its 2021 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 3 in the country right now by Rivals and No. 4 nationally according to the the 247Sports Composite.
In our “Reviewing Clemson’s commitments” series, The Clemson Insider takes another look at the future Tigers on board in the 2021 class, how Clemson landed them and what they will bring to the table when they join the team next year. In this article, we focus on Phil Mafah:
Profile:
Position: RB
Hometown (High School): Loganville, Ga. (Grayson)
Height, Weight: 6-1, 210
Power Five Offers: Clemson, Arizona, Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rutgers, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Vanderbilt
Ratings/Rankings: 4-star, No. 9 RB, No. 16 state, No. 173 national (Rivals); 4-star, No. 16 RB, No. 27 state, NR national (ESPN); 3-star, No. 30 RB, No. 27 state, NR national (247Sports)
How Clemson got him:
Last June, Mafah participated in a full three-day session of the Dabo Swinney Camp, after which he earned an offer from Clemson. He returned to campus for the Tigers’ 2019 season opener against Georgia Tech on Aug. 29 and informed Swinney of his commitment before the game, becoming the first commit in Clemson’s 2021 class.
Mafah had made several visits to campus prior to committing, so he was comfortable with Clemson, and after weighing all of his college options, he decided it was the best fit for him both academically and athletically. Overall, Clemson simply felt like home for Mafah, who had more than two dozen other offers.
“Just the people there and how I felt, how it made me feel,” Mafah said of why he committed to Clemson. “I just thought it was the best plan for me to be able to go somewhere where I can not only play football but prepare for my future, have a great plan for my future.”
Mafah’s relationship with his area recruiter for Clemson, safeties coach Mickey Conn, also helped the Tigers land him. Conn was a longtime head coach at Grayson High, where Mafah attends, and Conn helped coach Mafah’s little league football team back in the day.
What Clemson is getting:
A power back at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Mafah will be a nice complement to new Clemson running back commit Will Shipley’s more shifty, speedy style of play.
Mafah is a downhill, straight-line runner who shows excellent burst. He finds the hole, hits it hard and can get downfield in a hurry. He has good vision, makes decisive cuts and consistently outran defenders on film from his junior season.
Mafah broke his collarbone early last season and missed several games but still ended up with 676 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2018, he ran for 720 yards and 10 scores.
Mafah and Shipley should be a strong one-two punch for the Tigers in the future.
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