NewsOK.com Player of the Year candidate Brandon Swindall, Millwood
Class: Senior
Team record: 13-1 (lost in 2A semifinals)
Stats: Where to start… How about 1,312 receiving yards and 17 TDs on just 52 catches, an average of 26.2 yards per catch. Or 17 interceptions as a cornerback, returning eight for touchdowns to set a national record, according to the NFHS.
The case: You saw the part about the national record, right?
When the ball was in the air, nobody went and got it better than Swindall. He was a big play waiting to happen on both sides of the ball.
And he has a natural instinct of knowing where to be on the field at the right time, evident by the game-saving tackle on Douglass QB Shon Bridges at the 1-yard line on the final play of the Falcons’ 36-31 win in the Soul Bowl. He had a crucial pick to help Millwood try to come back in the semifinal game against Hennessey, as well as a huge fourth-down catch in triple-coverage to keep a scoring drive alive.
Swindall wants to play receiver at the next level and he will get a chance to do it. He has offers from Tulsa and New Mexico — where he took an official visit last week.
But the fact that this kid isn’t rolling in major-college offers right now shocks me. He’s close to 6-foot-4 with long arms, good jumping ability and great hands. His body control and ball skills are hard to beat. His straight-line speed seems to be the only drawback for recruiters, but considering how skinny he is, a year in a college weight room should solve that problem.
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