On a day when Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is playing the system, it’s important to remember there are more Adam Randall’s still in the game than Nico Iamaleava.

Iamaleava reportedly missed Friday’s practice at Tennessee due to contract negotiations between Iamaleava and a Tennessee collective. Reports surfaced Thursday Iamaleava wants a new NIL deal, which is already paying him $2 million a year, or he is threatening to enter the transfer portal, which opens on April 16 for the spring period.

Tennessee is hosting its spring game on Saturday and its star quarterback likely will not be in attendance.

This is what makes the Adam Randall story so refreshing. In this day and age when some athletes are worried about what is in it for them, Randall just wants to play football. He just wants to do what is best for his team.

It would have been easy for Randall to enter the transfer portal by now. His career at Clemson, to this point, hasn’t been what he thought it was going to be.

He got injured as a true freshman, and though he came back early in the season, he never reached the level of expectations he had for himself, much less the fans’ expectations. The last two years have been much of the same, as nagging injuries here and there have kept him out of the lineup and dropping on the depth chart.

It would have been easy for him to enter the transfer portal and go have a fresh start somewhere else. He could have done that at any point over the last three years, but he did not.

Randall chose to stay. He chose to compete. He blocked out all the noise from he fans and the media, such as myself, and he kept working.

Then came his 41-yard kickoff return in the ACC Championship Game that helped set up Nolan Hauser’s 56-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

During prep for the College Football Playoff Game against Texas, Randall asked if he could help at running back, knowing the Tigers were hurting with Phil Mafah less than 70 percent and Jay Hayes out with an ACL injury.

Randall had a 44-yard run against Texas and led all Clemson runners that afternoon in Austin.

This spring, Dabo Swinney and his coaches permanently moved Randall to running back where he has thrived so far.

Randall will likely go into fall camp as the Tigers’ top running back. He will have an opportunity to really help the team this season, as he has the running style of Wayne Gallman and the out of the backfield skills of Travis Zachery.

So, instead of getting worked up over guys like Iamaleava, lets instead celebrate a young man like Adam Randall, who has handled everything with professionalism and class during his time at Clemson.