Adam Randall scouting report
Adam Randall arrived at Clemson in January 2022 as one of the more decorated skill players in South Carolina prep history. A consensus four-star recruit out of Myrtle Beach High School, he was an Under Armour All-American and a five-star rated prospect by PrepStar who ranked him among the nation's top 80 players. His senior year at Myrtle Beach was absurd: 65 catches for 1,267 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns through the air, plus another 325 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground. He was also a standout track athlete, clocking a 10.94-second 100 meters as a junior, and 247Sports tagged him as one of its top national "Freak Athletes" in the 2022 cycle. Before he ever set foot on campus, he was widely expected to be a significant contributor at wide receiver for the Tigers.
The college career didn't unfold the way anyone scripted it. Randall tore his ACL in spring practice before his freshman year, costing him the first two games of 2022, and when he finally got on the field, he was a rotational piece collecting 10 catches for 128 yards across 12 appearances. His sophomore year brought a modest bump to 22 receptions and 250 yards in 13 games, but the production never matched the recruiting pedigree. The 2024 season was more of the same at receiver, with just 16 catches for 155 yards across 12 games and a single start. He did flash in other ways, though. His 41-yard kick return in the ACC Championship Game against SMU set up the game-winning field goal, and he ripped off a 41-yard rush at Texas when the staff started experimenting with him in the backfield during the College Football Playoff. Those moments planted the seed for what came next.
Clemson officially moved Randall to running back in the 2025 offseason, and the switch unlocked something. He was voted a permanent team captain by his teammates and became a 13-game starter, rushing 168 times for 813 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 36 receptions for 254 yards and three more scores. His 1,281 all-purpose yards made him one of the most productive players on the roster. He joined Travis Etienne, C.J. Spiller, and Travis Zachery as only the fourth player in program history with 750 career rushing yards and 750 career receiving yards. Off the field, Randall earned his bachelor's degree in management in just three years and completed a master's in athletic leadership, was named to the AFCA Good Works Team, and was a finalist for the Pop Warner Award and a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Packs 230 pounds into a 6'2" frame and uses every bit of it, delivering punishment on contact and bowling through arm tackles at the second level.
- Elite straight-line speed for a back his size, and it shows up on film when he hits the hole clean and separates from pursuit angles.
- Runs with his pads low and shoulders squared, attacking the line of scrimmage north-south with no wasted motion or dancing behind the line.
- Showed surprising patience reading blocks for a first-year running back, particularly on gap and power concepts where he let pullers lead him to daylight.
- The receiver background is a legitimate weapon out of the backfield. He logged 84 career receptions and understands how to find space in zones as a checkdown target.
- Dangerous on kick returns with a career 23.2 yards-per-return average, adding a special teams dimension that helps his roster case significantly.
- Generated over 500 yards after contact in 2025, showing the ability to churn through traffic and drag tacklers for extra yardage on a consistent basis.
- Tremendous character and leadership profile. Voted a permanent captain, earned a master's degree, and his AFCA Good Works Team selection tells you who this kid is in the building.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Pass protection is a glaring hole right now. His technique is raw and he doesn't play with the anchor or aggression his frame should allow in blitz pickup.
- Drops remain a concern. They plagued him at receiver and followed him to the backfield, with six drops on 49 targets in 2025 suggesting unreliable hands under pressure.
- Lacks the lateral agility and quick-twitch burst to make defenders miss in tight quarters. He is not going to create something from nothing when the blocking breaks down.
- Essentially one full season of running back tape to evaluate. The small sample makes it difficult to know how much of his 2025 was real growth versus scheme and opponent context.
- Scheme-limited as a runner. His carries came almost exclusively on gap and power concepts at Clemson, and he did not show the vision or flexibility to thrive in outside zone.
Scouting Report: Summary
Randall's tape tells you two things pretty quickly: he can run downhill with real power, and his receiver background gives him a toolkit most late-round backs simply do not have. The size-speed combination is genuinely rare. A 230-pound back who can outrun defensive backs in the open field is going to turn heads at the combine. But the film also tells you this is a player who only started carrying the football full-time about 12 months ago, and there are areas of his game that reflect that inexperience in obvious ways. The pass protection needs a complete overhaul. The zone-running ability is nonexistent at this point. And while he ran hard between the tackles, his yards-after-contact rate per attempt was only adequate, which suggests the power doesn't translate into broken tackles at the NFL level the way his body type implies it should.
The best path for Randall at the next level is in a gap-heavy, downhill running scheme where he can play to his strengths as a physical one-cut runner while his receiving chops give the offense a changeup on third downs and in two-minute situations. He is not a fit for a wide-zone system that asks its backs to press the edge, make lateral reads, and create on their own. He needs a defined lane and a lead blocker, and when he gets those things, he can be a productive complement who keeps the legs fresh on a more dynamic lead back. The kick return ability sweetens the package and could be what tips the scales in a roster battle.
The overall profile here is a developmental backup running back with a clear role as a short-yardage and goal-line weapon who also contributes on special teams. There is enough physical talent to justify investment, and the character and work ethic suggest he will maximize whatever opportunity he gets. But the late position switch, the limited tape at running back, and the real technical deficiencies in both pass protection and route-running precision cap his upside. Randall is a useful football player, not a difference-maker. At his best, he could carve out a long career as a valued number-two back in the right offense.
