Transcript of Joseph Randle’s spin in the ESPN ‘Car Wash’

Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle on Friday went through the ESPN “Car Wash,” a rapid series of interviews across all of ESPN’s platforms. Here’s a glimpse at some of his interviews.

Ivan Maisel podcast

Randle went 1-on-1 with ESPN.com senior writer Ivan Maisel for his Big 12 podcast that also featured Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, Sooner quarterback Landry Jones, West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith, Texas defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat and Kansas State linebacker Arthur Brown.

Ivan Maisel: Let me just go over what you did last year, Joseph. All-Big 12, 24 rushing touchdowns, which is a whole lot, 1,216 rushing yards. You also had 43 catches for nearly 300 yards. And that was last year. Now there’s no Brandon Weeden. There’s no Justin Blackmon. There’s just, not just you, but it’s gotta feel a little different last spring and as you think about the month to come.

Joseph Randle: Yeah, it’s a little different, but we definitely are going to have guys step up. We’ve still a stable of running backs like Jeremy Smith and Desmond Roland, and Kye Staley has always been my right-hand man at fullback. We’ve got a veteran offensive line, guys who have played a long time like Jonathan Rush and Lane Taylor and Parker Graham and Michael Bowie.

IM: Well, I noticed that. two starters back, but the guys stepping in have a lot of experience. So that’s got to be a little comforting.

JR: They’ve all been in the program at least four years (note: this is actually only Bowie’s second year in the program). So they know the program, they know their assignments. And that’s what I think people don’t really realize.

IM: Sure, sure. Now, you have a freshman quarterback, Wes Lunt. That usually makes people scared to death, a true freshman quarterback. Why shouldn’t Cowpoke fans be scared to death about Wes Lunt.

JR: Well, it’s scaring everybody but us. We’re in the program and we see him every day and he’s working really hard and he’s very mature for a young guy. He keeps his composure. Even during the spring last year, everybody was like in astonishment it was like, ‘Man, this guy is really going on drives and leading drives and all kinds of stuff.’

IM: So you guys were surprised?

JR: Yeah, we were surprised because he was so young. And then it was like, ‘Well, he deserves it,’ when they made the decision. And we got two guys behind him who are really good and they’re all competing, so it’s a really good competition going on right now.

IM: And (in the) locker room, if you get it done on the field, you’re accepted, right?

JR: Right.

IM: Still, there’s got to be a few ways you see that he’s a freshman.

JR: Well, yeah. He won the spot and then went back to prom. So we definitely knew he was a young guy from that.

IM: Was (there), perhaps, maybe just a little bit of teasing there?

JR: Yeah. It was cool, though. It was cute. (Laughs)

IM: Did you insist that you get pictures of him in his tux or anything like that?

JR: No, I didn’t bother him like that. It was cool, though.

IM: That’s actually very funny. Now, Wichita. A lot of running backs have come out of Wichita through the years. Barry Sanders the most prominent. How much of a sense of pride do you carry that you’ve got that title of a Wichita running back?

JR: It’s not so much pride. When I first decided I was going to go to Oklahoma State and I started looking at all the records and I was like, ‘Wow.’ Above 35 touchdowns, however many yards he had. And that was pretty much in two seasons. It’s going to be pretty tough to break those records. That’s what I was thinking when I first decided to go there, but it’s definitely an honor that people have been even putting me in the same sentence as Barry Sanders, I mean, seeing that he’s one of the all-time greats, arguably one of the best running backs of all time.