Promising Virginia RB ‘loved every minute’ of Swinney Camp, says Clemson ‘is a special place’

Among the prospects that had the chance to showcase their talent during all three days of Clemson’s overnight camp from June 10-12 was Liberty Christian Academy (Lynchburg, Va.)’s Gideon Davidson – a 5-foot-11, 185-pound class of 2025 recruit. “The …

Among the prospects that had the chance to showcase their talent during all three days of Clemson’s overnight camp from June 10-12 was Liberty Christian Academy (Lynchburg, Va.)’s Gideon Davidson – a 5-foot-11, 185-pound class of 2025 recruit.

“The camp was great,” Davidson told The Clemson Insider recently regarding his Dabo  Swinney Camp experience. “I loved every minute of it and I definitely learned a lot.”

With that said, what was he able to take away after working with CJ Spiller for three consecutive days?

“A few things I learned from coach CJ was how to improve my footwork and how to break down and cut better,” Davidson said. “He showed me a ton of good ladder drills to do at home to help me strengthen my strengths and improve on my weak spots.”

Davidson feels like he did well throughout the duration of the three-day camp, but can’t speak to how Clemson’s coaching staff viewed his performance. However, Clemson’s running backs coach did place Davidson with the rising senior backs.

As we know, Clemson takes the recruiting process slower than most teams around the country. So it’s hard for Davidson to pinpoint where he currently stands on Clemson’s recruiting board, but there certainly appears to be mutual interest there.

“I like Coach Spiller a lot and the Clemson program a bunch too,” he said. “So, I will keep building this relationship and see where it goes. Clesmon is a special place and football program.”

Davidson earned an offer from the University of Georgia to kick off the summer and since camping at Clemson, he’s added offers from Ohio State, Miami, Oregon and Southern Cal to his list.

Virginia gave Davidson his first offer in May 2021, and former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott reoffered this past January soon after he was hired as the Cavaliers’ new head coach. Virginia Tech offered last October, then reoffered in January as well.

Liberty, Penn State and South Carolina offered last May, August and September, respectively, while Louisville, Wake Forest and Tennessee have thrown their hats in the ring with offers to Davidson this year.

He doesn’t have any other camps or visits lined up this summer. And while Davidson has been invited to more than 20 different schools, he’s staying home to work out with his coaches and teammates.

Davidson will be playing more out of the slot and additional wide receiver positions during his sophomore campaign, so it’s something he needs to get up to speed with this summer. He’s also working on improving his running back techniques, as well as being the punt returner for Liberty Christian Academy this fall.

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Offer from Spiller, Clemson ‘would mean so much’ to promising Virginia RB

Clemson played host last week to a promising running back prospect who received multiple offers prior to his freshman high school football season in 2021 and has continued to rack up offers since then. Liberty Christian Academy (Lynchburg, Va.)’s …

Clemson played host last week to a promising running back prospect who received multiple offers prior to his freshman high school football season in 2021 and has continued to rack up offers since then.

Liberty Christian Academy (Lynchburg, Va.)’s Gideon Davidson – a 5-foot-11, 185-pound class of 2025 recruit – made an unofficial visit to Clemson on Wednesday, April 13.

“Loved my visit,” Davidson told The Clemson Insider. “That I had lots of time spent getting to know coaches and building relationships.”

Clemson running backs coach and College Football Hall of Famer C.J. Spiller – who played in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs following his All-American career with the Tigers – made a major impression on Davidson and his father while interacting with them during the visit.

“My dad and I really liked Coach Spiller as a person, his ‘why’ statement, coaching philosophy and because as my dad says, ‘He has been there and done that,’” Davidson said. “He was a great college player, played in the league eight years and is coaching now. That’s kinda what I would like to do.”

Virginia gave Davidson his first offer in May 2021, and former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott reoffered this past January soon after he was hired as the Cavaliers’ new head coach. Virginia Tech offered last October, then reoffered in January as well.

Liberty, Penn State and South Carolina offered last May, August and September, respectively, while Louisville, Wake Forest and Tennessee have thrown their hats in the ring with offers to Davidson this year.

Florida, Oklahoma, Florida State, LSU, Auburn, Boston College, West Virginia, Vanderbilt and Rutgers are other schools showing interest in Davidson, along with Clemson.

If Spiller and the Tigers pull the trigger on an offer to Davidson down the road, it would certainly be a big deal to him.

“Clemson is a special program,” he said, “so if I got an offer from Coach Spiller, that would mean so much to me coming from him.”

In addition to Clemson, Davidson has made visits to Virginia, Wake Forest, Tennessee, Florida and Liberty this year.

Davidson was also on campus at Clemson last summer to participate in the Dabo Swinney Camp.

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