A little more than one year ago, Adam Randall was getting ready to make his debut at running back for Clemson. Now, he is getting ready to play in one of the premier college football all-star games.
Randall is preparing to play in the prestigious Senior Bowl on Saturday in Mobile, Ala., and on Wednesday, he spoke with the media at the Senior Bowl.
Randall – a longtime wide receiver who contributed at running back in the 2024 College Football Playoff prior to making the permanent position switch in 2025 – explained why he decided to stick it out with Clemson despite the position change and the adversity he’s experienced in his career.
“For myself, when I committed to Clemson and Coach [Dabo] Swinney committed to me, I told myself that I would do anything to make it happen and to make it work so that I was going to stick it out,” Randall said, via Travis May of A to Z Sports. “That’s just the type of guy that I’ve been raised to be — someone who’s fully committed to the task at hand and just doesn’t jump ship because things get hard.”
Randall had his share of ups and downs during his time in Tigertown. The Myrtle Beach native came to Clemson as a highly regarded prospect in January 2022, but in spring practice that year, he tore his ACL. Though he made a speedy recovery and only missed the first two games that season, he continued to fight injuries over the next couple of years while playing a limited role in the wide receiver room.
While Randall admits the thought of transferring elsewhere crossed his mind, he ultimately decided to stick around after the end of Clemson’s 2024 season and return for his senior campaign in 2025 – as a receiver-turned-running back.
“In this era, it’s easy to just run from problems when things don’t go your way,” Randall said. “And honestly, in the position that I was in my junior year, it was tough. But I had my degree, and obviously the thoughts of leaving in the transfer portal did pop into my head.”
With the Tigers short on depth at running back in 2024, Randall moved from wide receiver ahead of Clemson’s first-round College Football Playoff matchup against Texas. After rushing for 44 yards that day, including a 41-yard run, head coach Dabo Swinney announced the move was a permanent one, and Randall was the Tigers’ featured back in 2025.
“I felt like I had a little bit of a jump-start, and that run in Texas, it just gave me a little bit of confidence and hope going into the next season,” Randall said.
The position switch paid off for Randall, as he shined and earned honorable-mention All-ACC honors while rushing for 813 yards and 10 touchdowns on 168 carries. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry and also registered 36 receptions for 254 yards and three more touchdowns, while averaging 23.7 yards per kickoff return.
In 2025, Randall became the fourth player in Clemson history to reach 750 career rushing yards and 750 career receiving yards, joining Travis Zachery, C.J. Spiller and Travis Etienne.
Randall said the transition to running back was easier due to the fact he graduated from Clemson in three years and didn’t have to worry about in-person classes.
“When I was given the opportunity to stay and make a position change, I feel like going into the next year, having so much time, that I wouldn’t have to go to any in-person classes, I knew that I could put my head down and really study football and immerse myself into the position,” Randall said.
Randall is now having the opportunity to showcase his skills for NFL personnel and talent evaluators at the Senior Bowl. The game is set to take place on Saturday at the University of South Alabama’s Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. It will kick off at 2:30 p.m. ET and be televised on NFL Network.