Overview:
Paul Randle, a proud Oak Cliff native and graduate of Wilmer-Hutchins High School, is working with Team IFA, a sports agency that focuses on NFL contract and athlete representation. Randle's mission is to mentor, educate, and advocate for young athletes navigating the often overwhelming business of sports. He oversees logistics and becomes an extension of the family, helping players build out philanthropic missions and navigate their burgeoning careers and platforms. Randle's approach is rooted in values of mentorship, honesty, consistency, and care, and he aims to make sure his athletes are still standing long after the stadium lights fade.
A proud Oak Cliff native and graduate of Wilmer-Hutchins High School (Class of ’95), Randle’s
journey from being a starting quarterback in Dallas to mentoring some of the country’s top
football talent didn’t follow a straight line. But it’s one that has come full circle, with the same
streets he once ran routes on now home to the athletes and families he helps guide.
“I’ve always known I’d be in sports,” Randle says. “At first, I thought it’d be playing the game
forever, but God had a different route. Turns out my place was behind the scenes, helping
young men become more than athletes.”
Founded in 2009 by Blake Baratz, Team IFA is a full-service sports agency that focuses
primarily on NFL contract and athlete representation. With its headquarters in Minnesota, IFA
distinguishes itself through a boutique model, intentionally keeping its client base intimate to
offer highly personalized care to each athlete and family.
“We’re not transactional,” Randle says plainly. “When we say it’s a family, we mean it. That
starts from who we choose to represent. It’s intentional.”
That intentionality is what drew Randle to the agency, and it’s what drives his daily mission: to
mentor, educate, and advocate for young athletes navigating the often overwhelming business
of sports.
“Blake started IFA with a vision,” Randle adds. “He saw what was missing in this space beyond
just the contract negotiations, and he built an agency around filling those gaps—character,
community, life after football.”
IFA isn’t just about getting athletes to the league. It’s about helping them last, and more
importantly, matter.
That’s where Randle comes in.
Understanding the Players, Not Just The Game
As Director of Athlete Relations, he oversees more than just logistics. He becomes an extension
of the family. From NIL education and mental health resources to helping players build out
philanthropic missions, he’s a mentor, counselor, and life coach all in one.
“Black families especially need more than just someone to negotiate a contract,” Randle says.
“They need someone who can help them understand taxes, NIL deals, what it means to live in a
state with income tax versus one that doesn’t. Most importantly, they need someone who can
help their sons stay grounded in who they are.”
Randle knows this need firsthand. He didn’t grow up in an executive suite or a sports agency
office. He grew up on Pacesetter Avenue in Oak Cliff, where community was everything and
role models weren’t always easy to find.
“Back then, I didn’t have someone to tell me what taxes on NIL money meant, or how to build a
nonprofit, or how to say no to people once you ‘make it.’ That’s why I’m here now.”
Randle’s approach is deeply rooted in values: mentorship, honesty, consistency, and care.
“I’m not here to be a yes man,” he says. “These guys don’t need another person hyping them
up. They need someone who’ll tell them what they need to hear, not what they want.”
He applies that same philosophy to every athlete he’s helped bring into IFA, including some of
the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s brightest stars.
Keelon Russell, the Alabama-bound Gatorade National Player of the Year, is one of them.
Russell, a highly decorated quarterback from Duncanville High School, led his team to back-to-
back 6A Division I state titles, throwing for over 7,400 yards and 90 touchdowns in his high
school career.
His exceptional talent earned him the prestigious Gatorade National Football
Player of the Year award, recognizing his athletic prowess, impressive 3.4 GPA, and
commitment to community service. Russell’s burgeoning profile has also led to him being
featured on the cover of this month’s Men’s Health magazine, highlighting him as one of “The
Future of Sports.”
“Keelon already had a heart for giving back,” Randle says. “We did a literacy outreach with him
at a charter school where his mom works, and you could tell—this wasn’t for cameras. It was
real.” Russell, who recently enrolled at Alabama after flipping his commitment from SMU,
embodies the character IFA seeks in its clients.
Driving Towards Success
LSU’s Caden Durham is another testament to IFA’s purposeful approach. Durham, an elite
running back also from Duncanville, was a critical force in his high school’s state championship
victories, rushing for nearly 4,000 yards and an astonishing 72 touchdowns in just 29 games as
a junior and senior.
He’s also a state champion track athlete, with his speed translating directly to his explosive play on the field. As a true freshman at LSU, Durham quickly made his mark, leading the Tigers in rushing with 753 yards and six touchdowns.
Durham earned Freshman All-SEC honors and became the first true freshman to lead LSU in rushing since Leonard Fournette in 2014. IFA is focused on helping players like Durham navigate their burgeoning careers and platforms.
Michigan’s Ty Haywood, a five-star offensive tackle, represents the future. Standing at 6-foot-5
and 285 pounds, Haywood—formerly of Billy Ryan High School in Denton—brings formidable
physical traits and a strong athletic background, including elite shot put throws. After initially
committing to Alabama, he ultimately chose Michigan, underscoring IFA’s role in guiding critical
career decisions. Randle meets these young men where they are while always pointing them
toward where they could go.
And when tragedy struck Keelon’s family recently with the passing of his twin sister, Randle and
IFA were there—not just in texts or phone calls, but in person.
“We went to the memorial. We flew to Mississippi for the funeral. That’s what family does. And
when we say ‘family’ at IFA, we mean it.”
Randle is honest about the pressures today’s athletes face. From social media clout to NIL
pressure and college transitions, it’s a storm of expectation and image.
That’s why each IFA client begins with a discovery session—not just about their skills, but about
their soul.
“We want to know what matters to them,” Randle says. “Is it autism awareness? Single moms?
Community gardens? We take those passions and build a real philanthropic strategy around it.
That’s how we’ve had multiple Walter Payton Man of the Year recipients, including NFL veteran
wide receiver Adam Thielen.”
Thielen, known for his excellence on and off the field, has been a two-time nominee for the
prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, recognizing his significant positive
impact on the community. Through the Thielen Foundation, he and his wife Caitlin have raised
over $3.2 million, focusing on creating opportunities for underserved youth through sports,
education, and mental health support—including renovating high school weight rooms and
providing scholarships.
And if an athlete doesn’t know what matters to them yet? That’s part of the process too.
“You’d be surprised how many of them care deeply, but just haven’t been asked the right
questions yet.”
A Legacy Worth Lauding
Randle has only been with IFA for a year, but his impact has already been felt across locker
rooms and living rooms alike. His background—playing college football at UAPB, playing in the
Arena League, growing up in Oak Cliff—allows him to relate to athletes on a human level. Not
as a suit, but as someone who’s been where they are.
“I’m 48. Some say I don’t look like it, but I’ve seen enough to know what works and what
doesn’t,” he says with a laugh. “I tell these young men: you may not remember the plays, but
you’ll remember who picked up the phone when it mattered.”
His ultimate goal is to make sure his athletes are still standing long after the stadium lights fade.
“I tell them I love them. That’s not weird to me. That’s necessary. These kids don’t hear it
enough. If I can be one of the few people in their life who says it and means it, then I’m doing
exactly what I was called to do.”
That’s Paul Randle’s playbook: build up character, serve the community, lead with love, and
never forget where you came from.
Before he was building legacies, he was just a kid from Highland Hills.
Now, he’s helping the next ones find their way.