CLEMSON — Adam Randall is playing running back for Clemson football this spring for the first time since his little league days.
Randall, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and about 230 pounds, made the position change after spending nearly three seasons at wide receiver. He made his collegiate running back debut vs. Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff in December, catching a pass for a yard and recording 44 yards rushing on four carries, including a 41-yard run in the second quarter.
Randall became a candidate for running back last season after Phil Mafah (shoulder) and Jay Haynes (torn ACL) both suffered injuries. With no prior college experience at running back and being used only in the offense’s “base” plays — simple strategies — in the Texas game, Randall is learning the new position to its fullest this spring.
“I knew I could be good at it because I’ve always been running with the ball,” he said Monday. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to have this spring just to take it slow, break it down and just continue to learn the details.”
Those details include identifying pass protection and improving footwork while running out of the backfield. Randall added he has watched NFL pass-catching players who are used at running back like Cordarrelle Patterson and Deebo Samuel to try to match their playing style.
“I wanted to do whatever I could to put myself in the best position to get to the next level,” Randall said. “When you got guys like Coach (Dabo) Swinney and other guys that have been to the level that I want to be at telling you that you can be great at another position, why not try it out?”
With Mafah’s eligibility expiring, Randall is in competition for the starting running back role with Keith Adams Jr., Jarvis Green, David Eziomume and 2025 signee Gideon Davidson. During Monday’s open spring practice period, Randall was working with the starters.
Randall, who caught 48 passes for 533 yards and two touchdowns in 37 career games, sees his pass-catching ability as an asset out of the backfield.
“It’s been a lot of fun working with Adam. He’s a problem,” Swinney said after the first spring scrimmage on March 13. “It’s an interesting matchup with him because he’s so dynamic in the passing game and how you play him.”
Why Adam Randall didn’t transfer from Clemson football
Randall became one of Clemson’s saviors in the ACC championship game vs. SMU last season when he returned a kickoff for 41 yards, which helped set up kicker Nolan Hauser’s game-winning 56-yard field goal.
Randall achieved this despite missing two games in 2024 because of a toe injury and falling behind Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore in the starting wide receiver rotation. Randall could have entered the transfer portal because of his reduced role, but declined for a second straight season and will conclude his college career at Clemson.
“Clemson was a place that I wanted to be,” he said. “Other places are cool, and they have their own perks, but this is hard for me, so why not stick it out?”
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
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