CLEMSON – Just like many seniors in their final semester of college, Adam Randall has had a lot of job interviews in the last month.

While the average Clemson student prepares cover letters and a resume for a chance at a corporate job, Randall’s interviews have instead included talks with high-ranking staff members of professional football teams ahead of April’s NFL Draft. 

“You’re trying to sell yourself now,” Randall said. “You’re trying to sell yourself to the people in the NFL that you can do it and you can be a great player in the NFL.

“It’s fun, with the people calling you,” the Myrtle Beach, S.C., native added. “But at the end of the day they’re all job interviews and you want to make the best impression at all times.”

Randall is no stranger to having his phone constantly buzzing with staff members. As a five-star recruit out of high school, the former wide receiver had offers, and subsequent phone calls, lined up with 18 different schools before he committed to Clemson in 2020. 

This time, however, he noted a key difference in the tone of the phone calls. 

“It’s similar, how your phone is jumping off the hook and you have people calling you,” he said. “It’s a fun time, especially getting recruited, people are trying to get you to come there.

“I would say that’s the difference now, they’re picking you instead of you picking them, like it was in recruiting,” Randall added.

When Randall gets on Zoom calls for his so-called “job interviews” with professional teams, he comes prepared with an elevator pitch about his upside and potential as an NFL player. And just like in any regular meeting with a potential employer, he explains his strengths, weaknesses, and hopes for the future.

“I think I bring a lot to the offensive side of the ball, just my versatility,” Randall said, reciting his pitch. “I think I can play every offensive position other than quarterback, and if I could throw I could play quarterback or offensive line. I think I am a positionless player and a player that can plug in and play in a lot of spots, and also a smart player, somebody that can pick up an offense very well. With my size, speed, and ability, I think I bring a matchup nightmare for a defense.”

Randall earned the “positionless player” narrative after starting as both a wide receiver and running back across a four-year career with the Tigers. Last season, as the primary tailback for Clemson, Randall recorded 814 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. He also recorded 254 receiving yards, the most of his career, and caught three touchdowns from veteran quarterback (and former roommate) Cade Klubnik. 

Despite battling injuries including a torn ACL and a broken hand, Randall wrapped up his Clemson career with 787 receiving yards, 858 rushing yards, and 15 total touchdowns, becoming a permanent team captain. 

Now, with extensive amounts of available film, Randall has spent the last few months targeting areas of improvement.

“I just felt like after this season and seeing the things I needed to work on, I just needed to watch film, evaluate myself, and get better in the things that I felt like I was deficient in and enhance the things I felt like I was really good at,” the collegiate veteran said. “Some of my deficiencies now, like my pad level, pass pro, stuff like that, so just continuing to see what I can get better at in my game and attack that each and every offseason.”

Randall’s dedication paid off at the NFL Combine on March 2 in Indianapolis, at which he ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash, the eighth-highest amongst his position group. Two weeks later, at Clemson’s Pro Day, he recorded a 4.28-second shuttle run, which would have been the quickest at the Combine. 

Based on his numbers at these events, the “positionless” player garnered buzz from several national media outlets, and helped him secure private visits and a private workout with three professional teams. 

“I’ve had a couple of visits,” Randall said. “I’ve been to New England, going to Houston this upcoming week, and the Commanders are coming down to have a workout with me, so I’ve been getting a lot of general buzz, but those are the three teams that I feel like I’ve had some good connections with.”

Now, training in his hometown for the next few weeks before the Draft, Randall finds himself in a full-circle moment. While driving past the fields on which he played little league football, passing the high school that helped him catapult to success, he sits between two phases of life– with former dreams accomplished and new ones on the horizon.

“It’s been my dream and I’ve been striving and working for it and now that it is slowly approaching here in a couple of weeks, I think that it is going to be a dream come true, if and when I hear my name called,” he said. “And it’s just making the most of the opportunity when I get there. I think that I am an extremely hard worker and I am going to continue that wherever I go.”

In what could be a nerve-wracking experience, hoping and waiting to hear his name called across a three-day span, Randall feels peace.

“Over the past three months I think I’ve done everything I can to put myself in a good position and at that point, all the hay is in the barn so I’ve just got to let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “I know God is going to guide me in the right direction and put me in the right place where I need to be at the right time.”

 After injuries, playing time battles, and a new position, it may finally be the right time for Randall to get the recognition he sought in his collegiate career on Draft Day. He will have his first chance to hear his name called and officially complete the job interview process on April 23, when the NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh.