Dabo Swinney shares Adam Randall suffered strained quad

On Monday, Clemson wide receiver Adam Randall donned a yellow jersey, signifying he was not allowed to participate in full-contact drills. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney cleared up Randall’s situation during a press conference on Wednesday.

“He just strained his quad,” Swinney said. “Man, he had three or four really, really good days. Really pleased with him. He kind of picked up where he left off. He finished the season with a lot of confidence, and he’s carried that into the offseason, and then off to a really good start with spring ball.

“Just on a go ball the other day, just a little tweak in his quad. Nothing serious. So, just trying to be smart with him so it doesn’t linger or lead into anything else. He’s kind of day-to-day.”

Adam Randall played in all 13 of Clemson’s games last season, making five starts. He finished the 2023 campaign with 22 receptions for 250 yards. Randall only improved down the stretch, notching a career-high five catches in Clemson’s narrow 38-35 win over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl.

Despite Randall’s history of injuries, Clemson has high hopes for the junior wideout. Randall was a four-star prospect, according to On3 Industry Ratings. He was the No. 94 overall recruit in the Class of 2022. If anybody is going to maximize Randall’s talents, it’s Swinney.

Bruce Feldman raves about Dabo Swinney

During an appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman listed Swinney as the No. 2 head coach in college football, only trailing Georgia’s Kirby Smart. After revealing his list, Feldman defended Swinney’s high spot on his totem pole.

“Given what Dabo Swinney has done, all he has done at Clemson, I know the program right now feels like it’s backsliding some, but it’s really, really hard to win national titles in college football,” Feldman said. “Very few guys have done it. He’s won two. He obviously beat Nick Saban a couple of times.”

After Swinney accepted an offer to become Clemson’s head coach in 2009, the program saw a meteoric rise. By the time the NCAA created the College Football Playoff in 2014, Clemson was one of the top teams in the country.

Clemson reached the CFP every season from 2016-21, defeating Alabama in the national championship in 2017 and 2019. However, once NIL and the transfer portal were introduced to the game, Clemson’s success gradually decreased.

In the 2023 campaign, Clemson finished with a 9-4 record, the program’s worst since 2010, which was Swinney’s second year at the helm. Despite the Tigers’ recent shortcomings, Feldman hasn’t forgotten what Swinney is capable of.

“He’s had six top-four finishes since 2015,” Feldman. “I don’t think that he’s handled the transfer portal in a great way to maintain as program. But, even as it feels like it’s backslid, they’re still 30-10 in the past three years.

“Again, just because of what he’s done before that, really revised Clemson and turned it into a powerhouse, I couldn’t see anybody else I could make a strong enough case to be in front of him.”