Swain’s patience pays off
receiver,” fellow junior Tyrie Cleveland said. “So him transforming to an inside receiver made him more aggressive and physical.”
Swain’s transformation, though, goes much deeper than Xs and Os.
In the end, Swain was not going to be denied.
“One thing about him is he always stayed the course,” said Stephen Field, Swain’s former high school coach. “He always kept his head right, he always stayed focused, he never let things distract him, he just worked his butt off. That was his deal: he’s going to work his butt off.
“And that’s translated to Gainesville. Nothing’s different.”
Swain made the most of a coaching change and change in philosophy.
The 6-foot, 207-pound junior was a man on a mission during the offseason, adding more than 20 pounds of muscle and shedding 10 percent body fat under new strength coach Nick Savage.
“I’ve gotten a little faster, a lot stronger. I can’t thank him enough,” Swain said. “I wasn’t really much of a speedster, I would say. He kind of got me right.” Swain did the rest. Entering preseason camp he was an afterthought among a group of receivers including Cleveland, Kadarius Toney, Trevon Grimes and Van Jefferson. Swain remains Josh Hammond’s backup.
But Swain has not taken backseat to any UF playmaker. a