Phil Mafah
No. 37  Dallas Cowboys
PositionRunning back
Roster status Injured reserve
Personal information
Born (2002-10-24) October 24, 2002 (age 23)
Loganville, Georgia, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight234 lb (106 kg)
Career information
High schoolGrayson (Loganville)
CollegeClemson (2021–2024)
NFL draft2025: 7th round, 239th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Phil Mafah (born October 24, 2002) is an American professional football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Early life

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Mafah attended Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia. During his career, he had 2,526 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns. He committed to Clemson University to play college football on August 29, 2019.[1]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Phil Mafah
RB
Loganville, Georgia Grayson High School 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 223 lb (101 kg) Aug 29, 2019 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2021 Clemson Football Commitment List". Rivals. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  • "Clemson Tigers 2021 Player Commits". ESPN. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  • "Clemson 2021 Football Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved January 18, 2024.

College career

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As a true freshman at Clemson in 2021, Mafah played in nine games with one start and had 68 carries for 292 yards and three touchdowns.[2][3] As the backup to Will Shipley in 2022, he started one of 14 games, rushing for 515 yards on 98 carries and four touchdowns. Mafah split carries with Shipley in 2023.[4] Against Notre Dame, he had 186 yards on a school record tying 36 carries.[5][6]

Statistics

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Season Games Rushing Receiving
GP Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
Clemson Tigers
2021 9 68 292 4.3 3 7 50 7.1 0
2022 14 98 515 5.3 4 9 48 5.3 0
2023 13 179 965 5.4 13 21 108 5.1 0
2024 14 216 1,115 5.2 8 21 103 4.9 0
Career 50 561 2,887 5.1 28 58 309 5.3 0

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wingspan
6 ft 0+58 in
(1.84 m)
234 lb
(106 kg)
31+38 in
(0.80 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
6 ft 5+58 in
(1.97 m)
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

Mafah was selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 239th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL draft.[9] He was placed on injured reserve to begin the regular season due to a shoulder injury.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Kornblut, Phil (August 29, 2019). "Running back gives Clemson its first 2021 commitment just as Tigers kick off season". The State. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  2. ^ Blau, Jon (October 6, 2021). "Clemson's Phil Mafah goes from redshirt candidate to immediate rushing threat". Post and Courier. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  3. ^ Keepfer, Scott (April 5, 2022). "How Phil Mafah has emerged as the 'Man' in Clemson running back room". Greenville Online. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  4. ^ Long, Christina (November 9, 2023). "Clemson football: Phil Mafah, Will Shipley have different approaches". Greenville Online. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  5. ^ Long, Christina (November 4, 2023). "Clemson football: Phil Mafah role could grow even with Will Shipley back". Greenville Online. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  6. ^ Adelson, Andrea (November 4, 2023). "Take that, Tyler: Clemson, Swinney upset Irish". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
  7. ^ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Phil Mafah Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  8. ^ "Phil Mafah College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  9. ^ Walker, Patrik (April 26, 2025). "Cowboys pick Phil Mafah, Tommy Akingbesote as 7th-round picks to complete 2025 NFL draft haul". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  10. ^ "Cowboys' Phil Mafah: officially lands on IR". cbssports.com. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
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