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Phil Mafah injury update: Clemson RB's status for playoff

Where things stand as Clemson hopes that lead back Phil Mafah will be at full strength for its first round College Football Playoff game.
James Parks|
What we know about Clemson running back Phil Mafah as he deals with a minor injury ahead of the College Football Playoff.
What we know about Clemson running back Phil Mafah as he deals with a minor injury ahead of the College Football Playoff. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Clemson Tigers

Clemson running back Phil Mafah is dealing with a minor shoulder injury, and it’s still an open question as to whether he’ll be at full strength for this week’s first round College Football Playoff game on the road against Texas.

“We got what we got,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said of Mafah’s status.

“Like I said, nobody’s 100 percent. They have got very few players that are 100 percent, and we don’t either, but certainly some rest for Mafah, it’s not a bad thing.”

Swinney added: “But you know, he’s got to have postseason surgery, regardless, you know? He’s going to give everything he’s got and thought he was better in the last game, but you know, we got to use our depth there for sure, and we got our guys, so it’s why we went and signed those guys.”

Mafah was limited to 13 rushes for 28 yards in the ACC Championship Game, and Clemson amassed just 64 total rushing yards in the win against SMU that guaranteed a place in the College Football Playoff.

Mafah has 214 carries for 1,106 yards with 8 touchdowns this season, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and adding 19 receptions with 88 more yards in the air.

In his four years at the school, Mafah has totaled 2,878 yards with 28 touchdowns rushing.

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He has covered football for a decade, previously managing several team sites and publishing national content for 247Sports.com for five years. His work has also been published on CBSSports.com. He founded College Football HQ in 2020, and the site joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022 and the On SI network in 2024.

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