 Spiller with the New Orleans Saints in 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Clemson Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Running backs coach | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1987-08-05)August 5, 1987 (age 38) Lake Butler, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Union County (Lake Butler, Florida) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | Clemson (2006–2009) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2010: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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Clifford "C. J."Spiller Jr. (born August 5, 1987) is an Americanfootball coach and formerrunning back andreturn specialist who is currently therunning backs coach atClemson University. He previously served as a graduate intern at Clemson in 2020.
Spiller playedcollege football for theClemson Tigers and was recognized as aunanimous All-American. Spiller was drafted by theBuffalo Bills with the ninth overall pick in the2010 NFL draft and played in theNational Football League (NFL) for 9 seasons with the Bills, theNew Orleans Saints, theSeattle Seahawks, theNew York Jets and theKansas City Chiefs.
Spiller was born inLake Butler, Florida.[1] He attendedUnion County High School in Lake Butler, where he played football.[2] At Union County High School, Spiller played along fellow Clemson teammate,Kevin Alexander.[3] During his senior year at Union County, he rushed for 1,840–yards on 176 carries for 30 touchdowns. He also had fifteen receptions for 249 yards.
In 2006, he was named All-First Coast boys track and field athlete of the year by The Florida Times-Union after winning FHSAA Class 2A state titles in the 100 and 200 meters.[4]
In his high school career, Spiller rushed for 5,511 yards on 541 carries.
Spiller received an athletic scholarship to attendClemson University, where he played for theClemson Tigers football team from 2006 to 2009.[9][10]
In his true freshman season, Spiller rushed for 938 yards and ten touchdowns on 129 rushes, despite being the second-team running back behindJames Davis.[11][12] He scored his first collegiate touchdown in a 34–33 overtime loss toBoston College on an 82-yard touchdown reception from quarterbackWill Proctor.[13] After struggling versusFlorida State the following week, Spiller turned it around againstNorth Carolina by rushing for fifty-eight yards and two touchdowns in a 52–7 rout of the Tar Heels.[14] In the following weeks, Spiller had two triple-digit rushing games as the Tigers defeatedLouisiana Tech andWake Forest. Against Louisiana Tech, he rushed for 127–yards and two touchdowns on eleven attempts, in a 51–0 rout of the Bulldogs, in which the entire Clemson team rushed for 393 yards.[15] In a Gameday-featured game vs. 13th rankedGeorgia Tech, Spiller rushed for 116 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown run, as well as catching a 50-yard swing pass touchdown en route to the Tigers 31–7 win.[16] Clemson finished the season with an 8–5 overall record, losing four of their final five games, including a 31–28 loss to archrival South Carolina, and ended the season in a 28–20Music City Bowl loss to theKentucky Wildcats. Spiller rushed for only twenty-four yards on five attempts in the loss.[17]
In his second season for the Tigers, Spiller had a less productive rushing season with only 768 yards and three touchdowns. He did, however, gain more receiving yards, with 271–yards and two additional touchdowns.[18] In the opening three games of the season, Spiller rushed for only eighty-five yards, including a career-worst −1–yards in a 38–10 victory overFurman.[19] In a 13–3 loss, he was again stopped by theGeorgia Tech defense, rushing for only two yards.[20] His best statistical game came against rivalsSouth Carolina, which Clemson won 23–21. Spiller ran for a team-high 122 yards on twenty-three attempts in the victory.[21] In the team's bowl game, he rushed for 112–yards on eight attempts, including one touchdown, in a 23–20 loss toAuburn in theChick-fil-A Bowl.[22]
With Spiller and fellow running back James Davis, the Clemson Tigers were favored to win the opening game oftheir 2008 season against theAlabama Crimson Tide in theChick-fil-A College Kickoff. However, a stingy Alabama defense held Spiller to just seven yards on two attempts.[23] He did score though, on a kickoff return for a touchdown. In his second game, however, he rushed for seventy-five yards on six carries, which included three touchdowns in a 45–17 victory overThe Citadel.[24] AgainstVirginia later that year, Spiller threw his first career touchdown on a trick play.[25] Spiller finished the 2008 season with 116 carries for 629 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to go along with 34 receptions for 436 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[26]
On January 15, 2009, Spiller announced that he would remain for his senior year at Clemson instead of entering the 2009 NFL Draft.[27]
In the Tigers' 40–24 victory over theFlorida State Seminoles on November 7, 2009, Spiller andJacoby Ford became the leading all-purpose duo in NCAA history (a record previously held byMarshall Faulk andDarnay Scott of San Diego State).
On November 28, 2009, Spiller set the FBS record for kickoff return touchdowns with seven during his career. He also earned his spot in the record books in another way on that kickoff return, by being one of five players to ever gain 7,000 all-purpose yards. Spiller was one of the three finalists for the 2009Doak Walker Award, and placed sixth in the voting for theHeisman Trophy.[28][29]
Spiller was selected for theAll-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) first-team, and was voted the ACC Player of the Year by the members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. He was also recognized as aunanimous All-American. He was the nation's only player that season to account for touchdowns five different ways—rushing, passing, receiving, and on kick and punt returns—and had passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns in one game, a victory againstNorth Carolina State, a first for a player in Clemson history.[30] He returned four kickoffs and a punt for scores that year and had eight total returns for touchdowns during his career. He scored at least once in every game that season while leading Clemson to the Atlantic Division title and a spot in the league title game againstGeorgia Tech, where he ran for 233 yards and four touchdowns.[31] He finished the season with 216 carries for 1,212 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns to go along with 36 receptions for 503 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He went over 100 scrimmage yards in eight of the games.[32] Spiller led the ACC with an average of nearly 184 all-purpose yards and was the league's fourth-leading rusher, averaging 76 yards.[33]
Spiller graduated from Clemson in December 2009, becoming the first person in his family to receive a four-year college degree.[34] Also, Clemson retired his No. 28 in recognition of his college career.[35]
Spiller was the only player in the FBS to score a touchdown in every game in the 2009 season.[36]
| Clemson Tigers | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Rushing | Receiving | Returning | ||||||||||||
| Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PR | Yds | KR | Yds | TD | |
| 2006 | 129 | 938 | 7.3 | 80 | 10 | 19 | 210 | 11.1 | 82 | 2 | 11 | 33 | 13 | 324 | 0 |
| 2007 | 145 | 768 | 5.3 | 83 | 3 | 34 | 271 | 8.0 | 68 | 2 | 16 | 137 | 19 | 547 | 2 |
| 2008 | 116 | 629 | 5.4 | 57 | 7 | 34 | 436 | 12.8 | 83 | 3 | 18 | 189 | 19 | 516 | 1 |
| 2009 | 201 | 1,212 | 5.6 | 66 | 12 | 36 | 503 | 14.0 | 63 | 4 | 8 | 210 | 21 | 708 | 5 |
| Total | 591 | 3,547 | 5.9 | 83 | 32 | 120 | 1,362 | 11.4 | 83 | 11 | 53 | 569 | 72 | 2,005 | 8 |
Despite being projected as a first-round pick in the2009 NFL draft, Spiller decided to return for his senior season in January 2009.[34] He was projected as a first-round draft choice in the2010 NFL draft and was listed as the No. 1 running back of the 2010 class by ESPN.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Spiller's NFL Combine workout |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+5⁄8 in (1.79 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.37 s | 1.55 s | 2.57 s | 36 in (0.91 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 18 reps | 10 | ||
| All values are fromNFL Combine, except vertical and broad jump fromPro Day[42][43] | ||||||||||||
Spiller was selected in the first round with the ninth overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by theBuffalo Bills.[44] He was the highest drafted Clemson player sinceBanks McFadden (1940 NFL draft) andGaines Adams (2007 NFL draft), both of whom went fourth overall.[45] On August 6, 2010, Spiller signed a five-year $25 million deal ($20.8M guaranteed).[46]
Spiller was named the top running back on Buffalo's final depth chart, ahead of the recently injuredMarshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.[47] Lynch was later traded to theSeattle Seahawks.[48][49]
On September 12, 2010, Spiller played in his first career NFL game in a home loss against theMiami Dolphins and had seven carries for six yards.[50]
Spiller was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for September 26, 2010, for a 95-yard touchdown return against theNew England Patriots.[51] Spiller had a touchdown off a pass byRyan Fitzpatrick.[52] However, his rookie season was marked with disappointment as he scored no rushing touchdowns and accumulated fewer yards than running backs taken after him in the draft, includingRyan Mathews,Jahvid Best, andToby Gerhart. For his rookie year in 2010, Spiller produced 283 rushing yards, 157 receiving yards, and 1189 return yards on 56 kickoff and punt return opportunities in 14 games (1 start).[53]
In 2011, it was announced that Spiller would trade numbers withLeodis McKelvin, receiving the number 28 in exchange for the number 21.[54] Spiller wore number 28 at Clemson. Heading into Week 12, Spiller hadn't gotten as much action as the Bills were planning on because of the Pro Bowl caliber season thatFred Jackson was having, but Jackson was then placed on injured reserve, meaning Spiller would finally get his opportunity and become the Bills' starting running back for the rest of the season.[55] In a Week 16 home game against theDenver Broncos on December 24, 2011, Spiller had the first 100-yard rushing game of his NFL career, rushing 16 times for 111 yards and a touchdown in a 40–14 win for the Bills.[56] Spiller finished the year with 561 yards on 107 carries, with four rushing touchdowns and a 5.2 yards/carry average. He recorded 39 receptions for 269 yards and two receiving touchdowns.[57]
WithFred Jackson once again missing time due to injuries, Spiller took advantage of the opportunity to have a career year.
In the Bills' 2012 regular season opener against theNew York Jets, Spiller had 14 carries for 169 yards and a touchdown.[58] In the following game against theKansas City Chiefs, he had 15 carries for 123 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 35–17 victory.[59] In Week 15 against theSeattle Seahawks, Spiller reached the 1,000 yards rushing mark for the first time in his NFL career. He accomplished the feat in 154 carries to reach the mark – the fewest carries to 1,000 yards sinceChicago Bears running backBeattie Feathers in 1934.[60][61] In the following game, against theMiami Dolphins, he had 22 carries for 138 rushing yards.[62]
Spiller rushed for 1,244 yards on only 207 carries and scored six touchdowns; his (6.009) yards per carry average (YPC) was second among running backs to Adrian Peterson's (6.025).[63] He also caught 43 passes for 459 yards with two receiving touchdowns.[64] Spiller was also elected to be in the Pro Bowl as an alternate forBaltimore Ravens running backRay Rice, who participated in the Super Bowl.[65]
On August 27, 2013, Spiller took temporary leave from active status with the Bills to be with his family after themurder–suicide by his step-grandfather Hubert Allen Jr.[66]
In Week 13 against theAtlanta Falcons, Spiller had 15 carries for 149 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.[67] He had three games going over the 100-yard mark on the season. In the 2013 season, Spiller rushed 202 times for 933 yards and had 33 receptions for 185 receiving yards in 15 games (10 starts).[68]
In Week 2 against theMiami Dolphins, Spiller returned a kickoff for a touchdown going 102 yards. For his efforts beyond that, Spiller was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[69] On October 19, Spiller broke hiscollarbone against theMinnesota Vikings.[70] He was placed on injured reserve/designated to return on October 21, 2014.[71] He returned to action against theOakland Raiders in Week 16.[72]
The 2014 season was a tumultuous year for the Bills' running backs, aside from Spiller's injury. Fellow running backFred Jackson was also injured, leaving newly signed backsAnthony Dixon andBryce Brown as the only healthy running backs for much of the season.[73][74]
On March 13, 2015, Spiller signed a four-year, $18 million contract with theNew Orleans Saints. The deal included $9 million guaranteed.[75] In a Week 4 game against theDallas Cowboys, Spiller caught an 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime to win. It was SaintsquarterbackDrew Brees' 400th career touchdown pass.[76] In Week 8 against theNew York Giants, Spiller caught Brees' seventh touchdown pass of the game.
Spiller was a healthy scratch for their season opener in 2016 against theOakland Raiders because fellow running backsTravaris Cadet andDaniel Lasco were playing bigger roles, according to coach Sean Payton.[77] On September 13, 2016, Spiller was released.[78]
On September 28, 2016, Spiller was signed by theSeattle Seahawks.[79] He was released by the Seahawks on October 26, 2016.[80]
On November 2, 2016, Spiller signed with theNew York Jets.[81] He was released by the team on December 6, 2016.[82]
On February 24, 2017, Spiller signed a one-year $980,000 contract with theKansas City Chiefs.[83] Throughout the 2017 season, Spiller was subject to multiple transactions causing him to be cut and signed multiple times, most recently being signed for the fifth time on January 2, 2018, the Chiefs ninth transaction in less than a year involving Spiller. He became an unrestricted free agent when the contract expired on March 14, 2018.[84][85]
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2010 | BUF | 14 | 1 | 74 | 283 | 3.8 | 20 | 0 | 24 | 157 | 6.5 | 41 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2011 | BUF | 16 | 11 | 107 | 561 | 5.2 | 38 | 4 | 39 | 269 | 6.9 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | BUF | 16 | 9 | 207 | 1,244 | 6.0 | 62 | 6 | 43 | 459 | 10.7 | 66 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2013 | BUF | 15 | 10 | 202 | 933 | 4.6 | 77 | 2 | 33 | 185 | 5.6 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2014 | BUF | 9 | 5 | 78 | 300 | 3.8 | 53 | 0 | 19 | 125 | 6.6 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2015 | NO | 13 | 2 | 36 | 112 | 3.1 | 11 | 0 | 34 | 239 | 7.0 | 80 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | SEA | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 43 | 8.6 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| NYJ | 4 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | KC | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 90 | 38 | 712 | 3,451 | 4.8 | 77 | 12 | 198 | 1,484 | 7.5 | 80 | 9 | 19 | 8 | |
Following his playing career, Spiller joined the coaching staff atClemson as an unpaid graduate intern in 2020.[86]
On February 5, 2021, Spiller was promoted to running backs coach at Clemson.[87]
