A.J. Randle, his Hall of Fame mom and the brave new world of NIL college recruiting
PHOTO: Garner High A.J. Randle and his mother Nikkie Bouyer-Randle on their recruiting trip to Miam.
Buy me a coffee: If you enjoy learning college football integration untold stories, consider a donation through Venmo to help me fund my website videos and research.
Thomas Shanahan | @Thomas-Shanahan-23
By TOM SHANAHAN
HighSchoolOT asked me to write stories for the North Carolina website this. Here’s my first contribution.
AJ. Randle is a 4-star linebacker at Garner High committed to Miami. He’s also the third Division I college athlete of his mother, a Clemson Hall of Famer in track and field as a five-time All-American and three-time ACC champion.
We discussed the dramatically shifting landscape. Her first on, Brandon Bouyer-Randle, was a 4-star linebacker at Battle Creek (Mich.) Central who played at Michigan State (2017-2020), Texas Tech (2021-22) and UConn (2022). Her daughter Kori is entering her junior season at Kansas. Kori was a two-time state champion at Garner.
She understood the recruiting game as an athlete and parent of two athletes, but NIL and revenue presented a new world to navigate when A.J. shot tup the recruiting rankings.
STORY
Advent of NIL agents adds to learning curve for Garner’s A.J. Randle and his Clemson HOF mom
Nikkie was a guest on the Adam Gold show to discuss what she learned and the advice she has, particularly dealing with agents. She plans to start a parent advising business with son Brandon, who was with the Cleveland Browns in 2024 before an injury.
What’s it like being a parent with a child going through the recruiting process and NIL? – YouTube
When I was a kid growing up Big Rapids, Michigan, Nikkie Bouyer-Randle’s father Corey Bouyer and uncle Willie Bouyer were legendary All-American football and track and field athletes at Ferris State. The Bulldogs are the reigning two-time NCAA Division II national champions. Willie Bouyer’s son, Willie Bouyer Jr., played on Michigan State’s 1987 Big Ten title team that won the Rose Bowl.
I first met A.J. and Nikkie at a Garner game last year.
-30–
Visit my homepage: TomShanahan.Report
— Watch a three-minute video to learn about our documentary at the fundraising stage, GAME CHANGERS OF THE CENTURY, and the Investment Deck.
***
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @shanny4055
I’ll put my facts on the true pioneers of college football integration versus Bear Bryant fairytales against anybody, anytime, anywhere. Watch here.
Click here for my story on the 1962 Rose Bowl and Segregation and Alabama.
— Tom Shanahan is an award-winning sportswriter with two books on college football integration, “RAYE OF LIGHT, Jimmy Raye, Duffy Daugherty, the Integration of College Football and the 1965-66 Michigan State Spartans,” and “THE RIGHT THING TO DO, The True Pioneers of College Football Integration in the 1960s.” They are the most accurate accounts of college football integration in the 1950s and 1960s. They also debunk myths about the 1970 USC-Alabama game. The false narrative co-opted the stories of the true pioneers who stood up to Jim Crow and the KKK.
— Two children’s books also explain Michigan State College Football Hall of Fame coach Duffy Daugherty’s impact on integration through the Underground Railroad and the Hawaiian Pipeline: “DUFFY’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD” and “HOW DUFFY PUT HAWAII ON AMERICA’S FOOTBALL MAP.”
***
PURCHASE LINKS, non-fiction books
— RAYE OF LIGHT, August Publications or on Amazon.
— THE RIGHT THING TO DO, August Publications or on Amazon.
PURCHASE LINKS, children’s books
— DUFFY’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD: Order from Barnes and Noble here and Amazon here.
— HOW DUFFY PUT HAWAII ON AMERICA’S FOOTBALL MAP. Order here:
How Duffy Put Hawaii On America’s Football Map by Tom Shanahan, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
Amazon.com: How Duffy Put Hawaii On America’s Football Map eBook : Shanahan, Tom: Kindle Store
