Player Profile: Randolph Kpai

Photo: Brad Fedie, 247Sports

School: Washington

Hometown: Sioux Falls, SD

Personal Relationships: Randolph’s father, Erick, moved from Liberia to Chicago seeking a better life and when Randolph was 6, Erick brought over the rest of his family. Still learning English, Randolph had a thick accent and was getting bullied. This led to a move to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, a much quieter community where Randolph’s mother, Utee’s, family lived. Randolph has a close relationship with his mother.  When given his first scholarship offer by Iowa, Randolph called his mother, voice trembling, and his mother reinforced how proud she was of his hard work.

Key Quote: When talking about how grateful he is to high school coach Chad Stadem, Randolph says “we didn’t have food at home sometimes and they would invite me over…have me around their kids…to have dinner with their family. They mean a lot to me.”

Social Media: Tweets are largely composed of support for other players and teammates and thanking colleges for recruiting offers.  Also a man of faith as he has the scripture reference “Romans 8:31” in both his Twitter and Instagram profile.

Off-the-Field: In the classroom, schoolwork has become a priority for Kpai as his college aspirations have become a motivation. Randolph’s high school coach sees his progress beyond football saying “he recognizes his strengths and weaknesses and attacks them. Even though he’s shy…he’s not afraid to fail. He’ll take on any challenge.”

Twitter: @d_kpai

Instagram: @randolph_kpai