Kendall Randolph explains what it means to be the last player remaining at Alabama from 2017 class
And then there was Kendall Randolph. The extremely veteran Alabama offensive tackle is entering his sixth season of college football and is the the last remaining member of the Tide’s 2017 recruiting class. A class that produced an immense number of, not just NFL players, but really good starting players in the league. Such as Najee Harris, Xavier McKinney, Tua Tagovailoa, DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones and Jedrick Wills. That’s a heck of a class.
Alas, Randolph is the last vestige of that class in the ‘Bama locker room. A fact he was asked to reflect on at a recent press conference. The big fella spoke very highly of the class and the guys in it.
You can watch his comments right here or read them in full below.
“You know, our 2017 class definitely was memorable. So, you know, being a part of that class and, you know, I definitely — I’m definitely happy to be a part of that class. You know, I still stay in contact with some of the guys and, you know, I’m glad they’re still able to do with it with the next level so it’s been outstanding.”
Randolph may not be on many draft boards yet, but perhaps a strong 2022 will earn him a shot at playing alongside so many of his former classmates. Either way, sounds like he’s just enjoying his time in college as an Alabama football player.
Later in that same interview, he also that he’s starting to crack “grandpa jokes” around the locker room.
Kendall Randolph addresses grandpa jokes, best one he’s heard in Alabama locker room
“So the grandpa jokes,” Randolph said after being asked recently, “That’s pretty funny because I do hear that sometimes. And I’m not offended by it, because at the end of the day, we are all here grinding for the same reason. And we all want to keep pushing to make it to the highest level possible. So, you know, six years ago I would say that I just saw myself being in the position to continue what I — keep on striving toward my dreams.”
As for the best jokes? Randolph didn’t share a specific, but did remember a time when his younger teammates learned that his birth year started with a “1.”
“They just say — I think one time we talked about what year we were born. And I was hearing some guys say they were born in like 2003 or like 2002,” Randolph said, chuckling. “And they said, ‘Kendall, what year were you born?’ I said, ‘1998.’ They just made some comments about that, but it didn’t go to far.”