Phil Mafah ready for bigger role in homecoming vs. Georgia

playing in the state of Georgia against Georgia number one team in the country Mercedes-Benz Stadium um honestly no you know coach Sweeny always talks about how it's an amazing opportunity and that's how I see it is to be able to go back to Georgia be able to have the opportunity to play the preseason number one team um you know it's just a great opportunity and you know it's just a dream I've had since I was a little kid to just be able to perform on a stage like this you personally have that of an opportunity is it you know as a running back going against this defense has been so good for so long this defensive line uh last time you met when you were a freshman in Charlotte neither offense board a touchdown um you feel like you can make a statement in this game oh yeah I definitely hoping to but you know they had they have had a such a great defense these past couple years so it's definitely a great opportunity for not only me but the team to um see where our hard work has paid off I'm in the off season and also I didn't get to play um my freshman year so I'm just excited for the opportunity in general honestly coach when you mentioned that you've been a game ready since June um I guess for your how that I guess them keeping you healthy balanced throughout the offseason kind of kind of is helping you now entering uh week one um you know when it was time to go you know I would go but they would definitely they did a great job and you know giving me my rest um and recovery but you know still got to practice hard I still make sure I keep that mindset every day off the practice field on the practice field just making sure I'm sharp taking mental reps when I'm not going um just things of that nature to still become a better player SP told me um going into camp that he kind of likened your journey as a player to his own CU he split carries with James Davis his first three years and then he was the alpha as a senior might have u a lot of people think he should have won the Heisman that year had a great season um has he talked about that with you that just that Dynamic of being the alpha in the running back room uh he just talked about um you know it just starts with me the leadership and if I don't do it others won't do it so I got to set the tempo you know whenever we're in practice in the meeting room you know everyone's looking to me and what I'm doing so I got to just make sure I'm doing the right things and staying focused so that's just become part of my routine just um being a professional trying to be a professional trying to learn that and I I really feel like it's spread on to my segment and you know help them to learn how to be successful at this level impression of the burning back behind you guys like j h just how they grow and just what are they sort of information they soaked up um they've grown a lot you know one thing I just try to instill every day is just hard work you know especially being running backs just finishing our runs um and making sure that we're doing game rep you know having a game rep mentality in practice so that it's easy to transfer to the game so just things of that things like that and in the weight room just pushing them to work harder um and to you know go beyond where they think they can go so I just try to instill belief in those guys and they've been working hard so hard this summer and I just can't wait to see what they do this season you're getting something like 36 cares in a game like you did against that Dame um is it even like registered to you how much you're touching the ball do you feel tired at various points um what how do you kind of handle those massive workloads um uh honestly i' handle it by just being get ready in practice and honestly in the game I don't really think about how much times I'm getting the ball honestly just thinking about winning you know whatever it takes to win and um you know that's just my main priority helping the team out any way I can and um when the other guys get in there the other running backs you know just helping them out giving them anything they need in order to be successful Phil you have such a tough running style how much does it excite you getting ready for a game like this that you know the physicality is really going to be amped up uh I just want to see where you know what I'm able to do you know um I've been playing this game since third grade you know it's always been a fun game and um I'm just excited to compete that's one of my favorite things to do go out there and compete you no matter who I'm facing you know I'm always giving my all and that's just what I'm excited to do go out there with my teammates worked hard this whole summer and the whole offseason to not only get ready for this game but for the season so I'm just excited for this season and to just leave it all out there as a competitor Phil obviously you're run a bigger Spotlight this season running out there first a lot of people are going to you know see you maybe for the first time on Saturday as viewers what do you hope the viewers take away from your performance on Saturday what do you hope they learn about you I just hope they see someone that's willing to lay it on the line for their teammates someone that works hard someone that plays with an intensity that you know is hard to match and just someone who really cares about the game cares about Clemson I'm GL here turnovers were a big problem especially the catastrophic type of turnovers a couple of those we saw on the mesh on the rpos do you feel like um cage gotten to the point where he his internal clock has improved where he he knows exactly how long he can or can't pull the ball out of Na um I feel like as a quarterback it takes develop and some something like that is so mundane coach Sweeny was literally just talking to us about it yesterday you know the little things can hurt you it's not like giving up a big play or something but like a ball snap you know a little thing like that so uh just making sure that we get the Reps in and focus on and what we're doing and I I have no doubt that Cade knows what he's doing at quarterback and um you know just focusing on a little things not only him but myself and making sure that we take our practice reps to the game how much have you been able to see will in the preseason with the Eagles and how much you guys touching is he giv kind of you any advice about at into of this senior year um I've talked to him definitely but you know the advice he's given me is just to you know do me do what I've always done lead the lead the guys out there and you know just keep working hard be who I am and um you know he's been doing great I've been talking to him he's loving it up there in Philly and I know he's got more success to come for sure Phil I know you guys practice a lot of the Tigers Traditions but what are some tips that you can give guys as far as when they run down the hill for the first time in a couple weeks and things to remember you know that they need to focus on to try to not create a catastrophe I'll say don't go down too fast honestly if it's your first time especially me myself personally I Trot down just because I'm scared I might fall or pull my hamstring or something but you know my advice to guys would be uh if it's your first time going down take it slow the first time and then once you keep doing it you'll get used to it for sure and what does it feel like to be a part of such a unique tradition like that in the whole stadium is going wild during it it's it's amazing honestly you know just growing up I never would have thought I'd be able to be a part of something like this and it's it's really just special is something very dear to my heart and I'm just blessed to be able to call myself a tiger be able to go down that Hill you know it's an opportunity that I'd never Overlook so you'll have a lot of friends and family in the stands where you and Barett kind of at each other's throats to get extra tickets oh yeah we're trying to definitely trying to get extra tickets but yeah a lot of f coming out my brothers and sisters so I'm excited to definitely see them after the game and I know they'll be supporting me praying for me I feel coach brought up that since 2019 that was the last time that Clemson's had a home opener to start the season so never had one do you wish you were starting at home or do you like starting on the road in these tough environments um honestly this year I mean I think it's perfect the way it is um to just be able to um play game one in Atlanta just personally for me me being from Atlanta being able to play a great team like Georgia who's had so much success and and see our capabilities where our hard work will take us you know it's you know it feels like it's a playoff game so that kind of mentality um is what's needed and you know that's what you want honestly as a player you want to go to The Natty you want to go to a playoff game so to be able to start with a game like this you know it's what everyone dreams of honestly keep that junor he I know he finished his high school be Utah but he told us that he started obviously Georgia would have been to would have been the top rushers of Georgia did you remember him back in high school for sure um I remember Keith especially coming to Camp uh just talking to him and his dad you know he was a tough player and just to see the way he's developed over the years you know maturing in from a high schooler to becoming a man you know it's just been awesome that's one of my favorite things honestly about football just to see the guys grow up and get older is it's um it's awesome honestly so I think bar Carter was telling us that what's different about him is that he literally wants to hurt the other person oh like how different is his mentality as a runner the on you uh his mentality is just go green light go and you know he's going to make you pay a lot of guys are you're going to see it this season a lot of guys aren't going to want to tackle him uh because of his intensity that he brings so he's definitely a key to this offense and will help us out a lot looks like we have a question for Phil virtually please identify your name affiliation and ask away yeah hey Phil this is Chip Towers from the Atlanta Jal Constitution for those of us that just aren't quite as familiar with your recruitment can you just go back a little bit was it didn't look like you had a ton of involvement with Georgia just did they recruit you and kind of how did that go and and is there a special incentive obviously getting a chance to play against him since you didn't get a chance to get in that last game um yeah um being recruited I did get recruited by Georgia early but you know I was always waiting on Clemson just because it was a place I wanted to be I knew I wanted to be and that was actually my last offer from Clemson so I committed like on a spot I was the first commitment of our class so I take pride in that and um you know I just knew it was a place I wanted to be the philosophy coach Sweeny had with his coaching um and just the type of man he is the type of leader is I knew me and my family that's something we wanted to be a part of and you know it's one of the greatest decisions I've made in my life so uh you know I love this place can you kind of speak for all these Georgia guys on the roster um I would say for them uh they definitely probably saw something in Clemson also you know it's a special place something a place like no other and um I just know that it's beyond football you know personally for me um things like Paul Journey are one of another big reason I chose to come to Clemson because the development as a man is something I really found um that I was really fond of and my parents also you know just developing holistically uh being able to graduate being the foundation of a program and just being able to um get closer to God um that's one of the biggest things I looked into before coming here and I could tell you that from freshman year to now I've definitely grown so much and um you know Clemson mean so much to me because of that thank you other questions for Phil from the room Phil yesterday or last night coach said that you were going to be a captain for this game what does that mean to you you know it's it's an amazing opportunity honestly and um something honestly like if I could tell myle School self that I'd be a captain at this game right now I would not believe myself like I I I would not believe myself and to be able to have that responsibility something I don't take lightly um so you know I'm just preparing myself make sure making sure I'm prepared um especially this offseason of just working making sure I can be a great representative for this team and a great leader for you know Clemson University and um just everyone here you know you sit here and you talk to us you look very calm very mild mannered the personality change though in the football field I mean we watch you sometimes run the football can be violent at times you know how would you describe your your running style um I'll say I've just trying to win honestly I'll do anything run past you run over you anything to just win and um you know it's just I've been playing this game since third grade so I guess you know the switch just comes on whenever I get in between those lines and uh I just love to compete honestly just loving to compete love to see my teammates win and that's just some of the reasons I love the game take one more for Phil any got any feedback on the video game like people pming you and saying like hey you're you're really good all things that happen for like a starting running back you um you know it's crazy just being able to be the first generation for this game you know it's awesome especially my brother talks to me about it a lot he plays it and he just tells me about you know some moves that I could probably incorporate into my game but I think I think it's awesome and just being able to play with myself in the game you know it's it's something I've always dreamed of so yeah all right thank you Phil Phil thank you last one up going to be Peter Woods coming on in