New WRU shirt holds deeper meaning for Clemson receiver Adam Randall

Adam Randall looks to restore the 'WRU' brand in Clemson.

Grayson Mann - Staff Writer - Wednesday, August 14 2024

CLEMSON - Adam Randall remembers sitting down for Clemson games as a kid.

There were indeed many memorable games to witness, but something deeper stood out.

Randall recalls watching the wide receivers warming up with shirts that read “WRU.” Before Randall committed to Clemson in December of 2020, plenty of receivers were worthy of wearing the branded outfit.

Whether it was Justyn Ross, Tee Higgins, Hunter Renfrow, or Mike Williams, those receivers made consistent plays when their number was called.

Randall knew it was something he wanted to be a part of when he arrived on campus, but the shirts quickly became a thing of the past.

Now a junior, Randall felt it was time to bring back a relic of the past, but with a particular twist. The shirt's layout reads the same “WRU” message, but the old phrase shares space with an additional line: “Prove it.”

“So, that happened in the spring, and it was something on my bucket list when I came to Clemson,” Randall said. “All the receivers had the cool WRU shirts on when I was a kid, and it was something I wanted to do. I wanted to bring that back and instill some confidence into the room. I want them to go out and be the WRU I know we can be.”

There have been times when that phrase of the past has been used as a bar to compare where this current wide receiver room is at. Randall is not focused on the outside noise but believes this group can be worthy of such a title heading into the season.

“I take it year-by-year,” Randall said. “I just want to prove it this season. It doesn’t matter what was done last year or the week prior. We just have to go out there and prove it.”

When it comes to his junior season, Randall isn’t just looking to help boost the reputation of his position group but to go out and be the receiver he knows he can personally be.

In 2023, Randall played in all of Clemson’s 13 games, starting five of those contests. He hauled 22 passes for 250 yards in his time on the field. This offseason, Randall’s goals were not just to find more ways to be productive but also to find peace within the mental game he plays.

“There’s a mental aspect to this game most don’t understand,” Randall said. “It is about being in the right headspace. I’ve been in the offense for a year. I got a full spring this year, where I didn’t have one last season. Being able to be out there and play instills a lot of confidence in me and in Cade (Klubnik), so we are on the same page.”

For Randall, there’s comfort in the repetitions. He spends extra time after practice with Klubnik working on those details to the sharpest form, no longer playing with any doubts that crept up early in his career.

Much like the new shirt says, he wants to prove it to himself and the guys around him.

“Being able to go out there and have some confidence and some leadership skills, drives me every single day,” Randall said. “I wake up to see my receivers in the room and this offense because I love playing for those guys, and I want to play for them and put my life on the line for them every day.”