Peach St. linebacker has Tigers on top heading into crucial Junior Day weekend

Swint poses in a Clemson uniform last spring

by Nikki Hood - Staff Writer - Fri Jan 18 07:01:02 GMT-04:00 2019

Clemson’s first Junior Day of 2019 will be held on January 26th, and it’s setting up to be the biggest in terms of sheer talent in recent memory. That includes one of the top 2020 linebackers out of the state of Georgia.

The Clemson coaching staff will host a bevy of the top 2020 prospects, including Kevin Swint, a 4-star out of Carrollton (GA) that is rated as the No. 13 outside linebacker nationally by Rivals.

Swint is strongly considering becoming a Tiger commitment on that visit.

"I hear from Clemson almost every day," Swint said. "They say I am the top guy in the class of 2020 and they want me to be that guy that comes in and helps fill in the missing linebacker pieces that will be leaving in a couple of years. Right now they are the top school for me, that's really about it. They are the top school. I think they have a big lead on everybody else."

Swint has watched the Clemson defenses dominate most people in recent seasons under Brent Venables. The way Venables constructs his defense and runs in is appealing to Swint.

"They run like a four-man front and the D-line takes up most of the gaps," Swint explained. "You really have one gap. It's not like a regular 3-4 defense where the defense is all spread out. And coach Venables, what he's doing right now, he's taking over the defensive game on the college level. Why wouldn't you want to go to a team that's locking people down? They held Alabama to like 15 or 17 points. Why wouldn't you want to get coached by a guy like him?"

He has Clemson in a top group with LSU, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Florida, South Carolina, and Boston College. He visited Clemson for both the NC State and South Carolina games.

As it stands right now, Clemson is the leader, and he has developed a strong relationship with recruiter Todd Bates.

“We really don't talk about football as much as you would think you would with a college recruiter,” Swint said. “We actually talk about life. Coach Bates gives me poems every now and then that will uplift your spirits. It's not all about football. Coach Bates is a really cool guy. He just has a vibe about him. You really have to smile when you're around him. You can really be yourself.”

Swint thinks of the Tigers as a dynasty.

“The first thing I think about it is I think they're building a dynasty with Dabo (Swinney). He recruits a great class,” Swint said. “He doesn't really have a whole bunch of four and five stars. He recruits the guys that he knows are going to get the job done. That's really how I think about Clemson.”

Swint totaled 13 tackles for loss (3.5 sacks) with 60 total stops, five pass breakups, and two caused fumbles as a junior. He has averaged 71 tackles per season at Carrollton with 65 total TFLs.