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D.J. Swearinger could feel the distraction coming.
With his senior season looming, the 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety from Greenwood (S.C.) High School decided it was time to end his recruitment and commit to Tennessee on Saturday.
“It just felt like I needed to get it out of the way and concentrate on my senior season,” Swearinger said.
Swearinger participated in a football jamboree on Friday night with the opener a week away. He was considering scholarship offers from 11 schools.
“I just felt like I needed to go ahead and do it so it wouldn’t affect my team,” Swearinger said.
Swearinger first visited Knoxville in June for UT’s football camp. A lasting impression was quickly made.
“I thought very highly of Tennessee when I went up there,” Swearinger said. “The coaches stood out. The facilities stood out.
“The way they ran their safeties with (defensive backs) Coach (Larry) Slade, that really stood out. Their academics stood out.”
The distance also stood out. Just a 3 1/2–hour drive will allow his family to make the trip often. It will also allow Swearinger a respite when necessary.
“If I want to come home,” Swearinger said, “I can just come home anytime.”
Swearinger chose UT over North Carolina and South Carolina, although it was never a tough debate.
“Tennessee stood out way more than North Carolina or South Carolina did,” Swearinger said.
Swearinger recorded 93 tackles, one interception and blocked two punts and two field goals last season. On offense, he rushed for over 500 yards and nine touchdowns.
Swearinger said he loves the pressure of playing safety, his projected position in college.
“You’re the last man deep,” he said. “You have a big role to play. If a safety misses a tackle, it’s six points.”
Swearinger is UT’s 17th commitment for the 2009 signing class. Athlete Nyshier Oliver from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J., is no longer being considered a commitment after opening up his recruitment.
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Comments » 56
jelyhupla writes:
1st
utwick writes:
Safety U
uahvol75 writes:
also plays RB..reckon hes better than the oliver kid?
utmichael20#546617 writes:
AWESOME!! Another commitment... i've gotta say, i'm liking the direction the program is going... recruiting-wise... how many comits do we already have? 18? 19?
Smallmike4pres writes:
How many damn DB's can one team have? Does Chavis even know what a depth chart is?
caskew#218608 writes:
Smallmike,
Does EVERY recruited DB end up as a DB? I trust Chavis' rationale over yours.
dvols writes:
welcome, good to have depth,we are only one injury away!
FWBVol writes:
One explanation for all the D-backs being recruited might have to do with the style of football now being played.
I was watching the high school game between Cathedral and Carmel Indiana today and they were talking about recruiting trend. One thing they said was with so many teams now running a spread offense, defensive coaches are recruiting smaller linebackers, i.e. defensive backs that will be linebackers, that can run and cover. And because fo the spread, a lot of teams are moving to a three-man defensive front as well.
When you think about it, that really does make a lot of sense.
As others have said, I believe the coaches know what they are doing.
GreenDevilVol writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
GreenDevilVol writes:
Good pick up IMO.Looking ahaed just a bit,we could be needing the DB's coming in to fill voids coming sooner than we think.
iowavol writes:
Greendevil, did I miss something. What did dvols say to offend you?
FWB, I was thinking the same thing. Speed has always been the key in Chavis defense, but now its even more important. As well, we could be loosing a few this year to the draft.
JoshuaMR43 writes:
Has anyone heard anything about 5* recruit Chris Donald? j/w if he looks like he's going to be any good. I haven't seen his name mentioned in any team news.
marinevol writes:
According to Rivals, Swearinger makes our SECOND commitment from a db. Do some of you have reason to think we have more than 2? We probably need 1 or 2 more.
http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlis...
1manningfan writes:
i watched his videos on rivals and the kid can flat out play! Good pick up. GO VOLS!!!
tnmantravel#531151 writes:
Welcome aboard young man....
However....
ever notice florida and lsu are stacked with defensive linemen, namely defensive tackels and are extremely hard to gain yardage on?
GO VOLS DESTROY UCLA
BRING SEC SWAGER TO THE ROSE BOWL
miamiVOL writes:
DJ is on the ESPN 150 watch list, here is his evaluation:
"Swearinger is a versatile athlete that doubles as a running back and a safety. He is a thick looking one hundred eighty eight pounds and at 6 feet tall, is an overshadowing figure on the football field. As a safety is especially impressive in pass coverage when in the two deep.
Recognizes route combinations and breaks well off the hash covering the fade and takeoff routes to the outside and the ability to cover the post and vertical routes to the inside. Good break on the ball once pass is thrown. Proper timing going for the interception or breaking on the pass. Comes off the hash quickly on run reads. Attacks the line of scrimmage but support angle is at times inconsistent; sometimes over runs or commits to the inside too quickly.
Fortunately, has enough talent to make up for being out of position. Shows good lateral support and pursuit angles. Has courage and normally makes the tackle but is not always physical when making the play. Sometimes dives at the ball carrier or arm tackles and doesn't get the head across the front of the offensive man.
Reliable centerfielder playing the middle third; reacts properly to run or pass. Shows toughness on special teams and displays courage blocking kicks. As a running back has good vision and has ability to break tackle in the open field and along the sideline. Swearinger is a valuable asset both sides of the ball. He has the potential to be a very special athlete."
bloodrunsorange writes:
I’m sure we want him. Well, less than 6 foot, less than 200 lbs., 800 SAT, and 4.69 in the 40. I didn’t even have him on the any of my lists. He is rated 2 stars. What don’t I know? Gilmore, Myles, Emilien, Winston, Gordon, Hawkins, Smith, and Oliver I have at S and CB. Jenkins, Telfort, Askew, Euclid, King, and Bostic I still have at LB. Hicks and Jeffery I have at DT. Graham, Bonds, and Drummond I have at DE. Oku I have at RB. Brown, Brown, and Thomas I have at WR. Charles I have at TE. Moses and White I have as OL. I do have some others and a couple from Tennessee, but I completely missed him. What say you?
marinevol writes:
I don't know where you're getting your info, blood, but according to Rivals he is a three star prospect, 5'11", 191 lbs, runs the 40 in 4.44 and has a 3.3 GPA. He had offers from Michigan, Auburn and Illinois, as well as several ACC schools. Sounds like a great catch.
http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/...
VOLatile writes:
Looks like dude can tackle to me....Wasn't perfect form everytime, but he made some solid stops on "Marine's" link (Marine - thanks for that video link). Swearinger has good closing speed and isn't afraid to stick his nose in someone's chest either....
bloodrunsorange writes:
scout.com - inside tennessee - prospects
bloodrunsorange writes:
Scout.com Combine Results:
Location: Charlotte
40-Yard Dash: 4.69
Short Shuttle: 4.41
3-Cone: 7.37
Broad Jump: 10-0
PreventUT writes:
D.J. WAS on the ESPN 150 watch list. That list has been out for a while and he didn't make it. ESPN ranks him right behind Nunes as UT's 4th best prospect.
Lose one 3 star, pick-up another: I'm a bit surprised that UT isn't holding off until the "BIG FISH" start to commit. Thought someone like Askew would be next. Oh well.
Rivals ranks him the 4th most physical safety. Despite his smaller size, why do I have the feeling that Chavis would convert him to LB?
Chavis doesn't recruit safeties. He recruits CB's who a lot of times become safeties. Safeties like AMW become LB's. LB's to DE's (Ayers, Mathis, Walker). DE's put on weight and become DT's. He'll sacrifice size for speed, which for a while now has been a must have against the speedy teams like Florida and the spread. A 3-4 base defense will be the next stop!
Especially if UT can't start landing some big time DT's.
orangebloodgmc writes:
I'm just glad to get a recruiting story that is actually about a player we would be getting as opposed to news of another school getting a verbal from someone. And a hitter ... good thing.
PreventUT writes:
This class has a lot of "tweeners"
bloodrunsorange writes:
I'm sure there's a mistake somewhere. At 4.69 he must have stopped and had a sandwich and then finished running the 40. 2009 Scout.com HS Football Rankings
Pos: S Pos Rank: #163 Pos Rating: 2 Star 4.44 sounds much better for smaller than 6 foot and under 200 pounds. Maybe the big fish are on the string and just making their visits. Lets hope!
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
bloodrunsorange... You really shouldn't put to much emphasis in what Scout says. When it comes to recruiting they are behind the 8 ball.
PreventUT writes:
I probably should have looked at the class first, but I really, really wanted to say "tweeners."
FWBVol writes:
Al Wilson and Eric Westmoreland were both played safety in high school and became two-thirds of one of best linebacking group UT has had.
This kid is about the same size as E-Mo when he came out of South Pitt in 96, and not too much smaller than Wilson in 95. If he can run and hit there will be a place for him on the football field.
And any time we can get a kid Spurrier was recruiting is a bonus.
PreventUT writes:
Let's get a 6-5/245 pound LB with 4.55 speed on the team and I'll be happy. Whoops, I just found one...his name is Gerald Williams! Chavis won't have to sacrifice any size with this guy.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
volndothan... I don't think the coaches look at rivals & scout to decide on who they are gonna offer. That's why they have camps. If they're interested in a player they get him to camp evaluate him and make a decision to offer him or not. Besides even scout & rivals can't agree on certain players. Look at Newton (Kentucky commit)scout had him a 5* and rivals had him a 3*. I would rather the coaches evaluate them than depend on what the recruiting services think.
Ralph_Crampton writes:
Small Mike good to hear from you again...Are the Vols ready? Give me a prediction of the coming year? I know you tell it like it is..not what sounds good to others.
MrBamSeydu writes:
utmichael20: You seem pretty excited about a 2 star DB commit. I'm alot less enthusiastic.
Listen guys, everyone is flipping out saying our recruiting is going SO well.... but think about this, we have 17 commits already and we're only ranking between 12-16 as far as team rankings for recruiting (rivals, scout, espn, etc).
To me, I'd rather have quality over quantity, like USC, Florida, or LSU normally do. I'd rather end right now with 17 commits and have a few 5-star, 8 or 9 4-star, and a couple 3 star. Yet we are going to end with 75% of our commits as either 3 star or 2 star.
That is NOT the recruiting we're known for. Just because we're getting early commits and we're already at 17 commits does NOT make this a great recruiting class no way, no how.
Give me Stokes, Nunes, Hunter, Thigpen, Giles, and the JC DT and take the rest back!!!!!!!!
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
savageo... We need you here to explain to some of these people that every one of our commits doesn't have to be 4* & 5* players.
PreventUT writes:
I don't think people are upset b/c they think everyone of the commits need to be 4/5 stars. It's that UT is a little bottom heavy right now and doesn't have a blend of 3/4/5 star players. It's good to have a base. When that base turns into an entire class of 3 stars, some people become worried.
orangecountry21 writes:
Great pick up. I am growing a bit of wary of all the three stars though. I don't want to get in a stars battle but I really would like to see some bigger names commit here pretty soon.
budd#207344 writes:
lets see should I have more faith in the fact that the guy had scolly offers from 11 D-1 teams including 5 SEC teams or the dweebs on here and scouts and rivals? Hmmm I wonder trust the coaches or the jock sniffers? hmmm
PreventUT writes:
for those astronomers who like studying stars:
https://share.acrobat.com/adc/documen...
it may take a second to upload
OakyVol09 writes:
Most of you guys are griping about the "stars" these kids have, and they have, at most, played one game of their senior year. Let's relax on the stars and and wait until the end of the HS football year. Some of the 3* kids we have know will surely make it to 4 before the season is done. And as sjt has routinely pointed out, our not so good class from last year was underrated and that is showing on the field. Having 5* does not make you a good football player. These kids that have committed are making good grades, staying out of trouble, and are great athletes. That means they are physically gifted and coachable. There is good reason to be excited about UT football. Bring on the season!!
OakyVol09 writes:
Anyone seen a picture of this kid? He looks like Ron Artest Jr.
GreenDevilVol writes:
All these ratings doesn't mean squat!The coaches evaluate the players and "their tendencies" for
the football team.A good example,Marlon Walls..L/B out of high school;now could be a D/E,Wilks..Rec out of high school;could be one of the better safeties to play.Vinson..Rec out of high school,you get my drift. All these *'s are for those that have to much time on their hands;but if you want to follow the * system,watch for some of them to change for the better by the time signing day rolls around.
shaverutvol writes:
I don't know this kid personally, but I know his family, and they are quality folks. His HS team was pretty darn good, and I think he was the core of the whole thing. UT needs more kids like this that won't end up drunk in a car on Cumberland or with nine kids in six states.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
We almost always finish ahead of Auburn in recruiting and they always seem to beat us when we play them. Go back and look at UF's rankings in recruiting the past couple of years and look at Auburns. Big difference. Yet Auburn seems to beat them when they play. Go figure!
chrisw2967 writes:
this kid might be a 3* or whatever but from watching his video he can already do something the def. has been having problems with for the past couple of year and still having problems with and thats wrapping up and tackling.
MrBamSeydu writes:
sjt18: I'm not saying he can't play or be a useful. I just wish we could get the ELITE players... the ones you KNOW are automatic NFL players (like Berry or Tebow, for example).
I'd rather win easily with superior talent than win hard with heart and hard work. That's just me. I like knowing that we've got the better team and can do whatever we want.... like when Travis Henry ran down Arkansas' throat after the infamous fumble. They KNEW we were going to run the ball, but couldn't do anything about it.
I miss the old days.
junder13 writes:
Some of the boggers on here that obviously know a lot about recruiting (savage, sjt, jmbigorange) will stand up for the 3 * i've noticed--and in a couple cases I agree. A whole class consisting of mostly 3 * I refuse to believe is ok, no matter how they do in spring practice.
It's true that Auburn usually does not have top 10 classes and they are one of the better teams in the league but Tub is renowned for developing talent, Fulmer is not--he's always faired better with superior talent ('90s).
Besides, if stars really don't matter that much, than why does So Cal always end in the top 10 in the polls since Carroll has taken over and have so many first day draft picks?!? Granted, Carroll's a great coach too but his recruiting ability is unparrallel and many of his 5 & 4 *s have become or will become All-Americans and 1st day draft picks (2003 recruiting class - Lawrence Jackson, Reggie Bush, Steve Smith, Sedrick Ellis, Sam Baker; 2004 - Jeff Byers, Keith Rivers, Dwayne Jarrett, Fred Davis; 2005 - Mark Sanchez, Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing; 2006 - Stafon Johnson, Vidal Hazelton, C.J. Gable). Ellis, Rivers, Baker and Jackson were all first round draft picks last year after returning for their sr season in 2007.
orangebloodgmc writes:
Auburn always loads up on defensive line recruits and LSU has done the same in recent years. Two or three bluechip qbs could be uncomfortable rivals, but 2 or 3 ringer dt's would only help each other shine as a unit.
MyVeinsROrange writes:
Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler, Marcus Nash, Will Overstreet, Al Wilson, Travis Henry, Jay Graham. Do they have anything in common. None of them were 4* or 5*. Guys you all have to remember that we are putting stars on 17/18 year olds. By the time they are in their prime in college they will be 22/23 years old. In 5 years a lot can be accomplished. And as for the why we don't get as many 4/5* is due to the competitiveness of NCAAF now. I mean when you have Boise St., BYU, and Wake Forest in the top 25 in one year one will see there are a lot of opportunities for kids to start as true freshmen entering college. At UT they know that many of them won't start. Even if they are a 4/5*
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
junder13... I agree with you on some points. First of all There is know reason that UT should end up with primarily 3* players. Fulmer himself has set that bar higher and he must live up to that. There's no reason UT can't sign at least 1 or 2 5* and a handful of 4* players in each class. IMO UT should be in the top 10 to 15 every year in recruiting. No excuses. On the other hand, Tennessee doesn't have a lot of instate talent to rely on like the UF, FSU, UGA, UA, Texas, & USC. It's getting harder to pull out of state kids especially now that the level of competition has risen so much in the SEC. Secondly, Let's hope Clawson will be one of those guys who has a reputation of developing talent. Once we start winning and being mentioned in conversation with the UF's, USC's, & LSU's the high profile recruits will follow.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
junder13... Also these kids aren't just looking to play for the winning program anymore. These kids are looking at depth charts to see how soon they'll get their chance to shine. Also looking to see if the HC is willing to play true freshman is a big draw.
BobbyGraham writes:
His cousin, Clarence, sure could hoop for the vols back in the day.
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