Adam Randall embracing position change, seeking to be 'great'

When it comes to Adam Randall, Clemson is his home, and that’s one thing he doesn’t want to change.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Wednesday, March 26 2025

Switching positions later in your career is a daunting item to process.

For Adam Randall, that switch came shortly after the ACC Championship. The confetti was falling in Charlotte, but Clemson had a serious issue on its hands.

The Tigers had punched their ticket to the playoff, but one key position was left rather thin in the win over SMU.

Jay Haynes was deep in the end zone, ready to return a kick to give his offense some field position to stave off a rallying Mustangs squad on fire on a cold Charlotte night.

As he glided down the field, a hit from an SMU special teamer ended the play, and Hayes’ season.

Not only was it apparent that Phil Mafah was dealing with something serious at the time, but your option to pick up the slack was out of commission for the remainder of the year.

Essentially, Clemson’s top two options at running back were considered either incredibly limited or out of use entirely. The Tigers had options between the two, but with such limited playing time, an idea popped into the staff’s mind.

Enter Randall.

When the idea of him switching positions was thrown his way, there wasn’t any frustration or ill feelings about being shifted to a new spot. Instead, he embraced the idea of that change. If you ask anyone about Randall on the team, much time is spent on his leadership, with Dabo Swinney adding that his new tailback is one of the best leaders on this team.

Randall’s warm embrace of a position change, doing whatever it takes to win for the team's sake rather than what may be best for him at the time, is emblematic of that core trait.

It also helps when the staff is confident this position change would boost Randall’s chances of reaching the NFL. He recalled conversations with Swinney and C.J. Spiller about how he could shine at tailback, and ultimately reach the pinnacle of the football world.

“I wanted to embrace it for myself,” Randall said. “I wanted to do whatever I could to put myself in the position to get to the next level. When you got guys like Coach Swinney and other guys who have been to the level I want to be at telling you that could be great at another position, why not try it out?”

When it came to the Texas game, his deep understanding of the offense allowed him to grasp the base plays with his new role, and it came with a big chunk play in the playoff matchup.

In total, he carried the ball four times for 44 yards, but the vision for what he could produce in the backfield became easier to see once he took live reps.

Randall believes he’s a mismatch in the backfield, adding that he’s studied the tape of Cordarrelle Patterson and Deebo Samuel, noting the unique body types they hold at the position and the stress they create on defenses.

When so much can be thrown at you like a position change, staying the course can be difficult to manage.

For most, switching schools via the portal is an easy way to find a new change of scenery while keeping your action on the field the same.

When it comes to Randall, Clemson is his home, and that’s one thing he doesn’t want to change.

“Clemson was the place I wanted to be,” Randall said. “The other places are cool, and they have their own perks, but this is home for me. Why not stick it out?”