Inside Dabo Swinney and Adam Randall's Conversation About Switching Positions in 2024

Clemson Tigers running back Adam Randall is having newfound success after switching from wide receiver to tailback last December. However, it wasn’t always a smooth process.

Both Randall and head coach Dabo Swinney spoke about a conversation that they had after Clemson’s ACC Championship game win against SMU last season, where the senior saved the team’s season on a 41-yard kick return to help set the Tigers up for the Nolan Hauser 56-yard game-winning field goal.

The day after the win, Randall went into Swinney’s office and expressed his frustration with his play time, interested in entering the transfer portal in the offseason.

“Going into the ACC Championship game, I wasn’t playing as much as I wanted to at receiver,” Randall said, “and then, just throughout the game, just staying engaged and just having an opportunity.”

“Adam and I sat down, you know, the day after the ACC Championship, because he was going to go in the portal because, you know, he’s a great kid,” Swinney said on Tuesday. “He loves Clemson, he’s graduating, he was going to be a graduate and have his degree, and he’s like, ‘You know, I just want to go play.’’

Randall wasn’t even supposed to get the opportunity to return the kick, but two changes saw him in the moment. Tailback Jay Haynes suffered a torn ACL on a kick return in the second half, and fellow tailback Phil Mafah had a busted cleat and wasn’t able to go out to return it.

The senior’s return showed his best quality: Randall was best when he had the ball in his hands.

“I think coach Swinney just saw, you know, what I could do with the ball in my hands, and he thought, you know, maybe it’d be better for me to switch to running back and, you know, just have the opportunity to just kind of get the ball in my hands quicker than you could on the outside,” he said. “I think he’s just been a blessing, like kind of in disguise. You know, just all the things that went into me having to switch and then being able to switch and being able to make it successful.”

So, Swinney and Randall made a deal. The receiver would take reps at running back throughout the preparation of the College Football Playoff game against Texas and practice in the position throughout the spring. If it wasn’t working out, Swinney would help him find a new school to get opportunities in next season.

And the rest is history.

His first rushing attempt against the Longhorns was a 41-yard burst, and the confidence that Randall needed was finally back.

“Going into the playoffs that week that we were preparing, I felt comfortable, a little bit more comfortable than I thought I would have,” he said, “and also, you know, going into the game and having that long run and having a couple of other runs where I felt like I could make an impact next year. It definitely gave me confidence going into the spring.”

Having trust in Swinney, as well as the deep love that he had for the school, the open spot at running back was eventually filled by Randall, and he is now having a career year. With 675 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns on the year, Swinney’s gamble paid off, and the trust is what caused the belief.

“Honestly, what kind of gave me faith was I just love Clemson, and, you know, like I said earlier, I didn’t want to leave, and I was willing to do anything that I could to, you know, help impact this program in the best way possible, and coach Swinney thought that was for me to move to running back,” Randall said. “I was going to give it a try before I just dipped up out of here.”

“That wouldn’t have happened because then he would’ve had that opportunity to go and compete and gain confidence and so forth,” Swinney said. “So, yeah, I just think it would be better in a different time, but that doesn’t mean I’m right. I totally understand a lot of the other coaches' perspective, too.”

As Randall touches Howard’s Rock and runs down the hill one final time, he reflects on his time of fighting through the adversity and the obstacles he faced throughout his career, and how he triumphed over all of that at the end of it all.

That is why Swinney called Randall “one of the best stories in college football” at the beginning of the season: he won at the end, whether Clemson’s record shows that or not.

“If it would have all went perfect, I would’ve have had, you know, the toughness or any, you know, kind of grit that a lot of people say” Randall said, “but now like just having the opportunity to go through so many ups and downs, so many trials and adversity, it has made me build back stronger and I think it’s going to set me up well for life.”

Clemson’s Senior Day is this Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against Furman, with the game broadcast on the CW Network.