R100 RB Swinney picks Ole Miss
Class of 2015 Rivals100 and Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek running back Eric Swinney is expected to break the school record for rushing yards in a career this fall. But before he shifts his focus fully to his senior season, he wanted to get an important decision out of the way first.
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"I'm officially committing to Ole Miss," the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Swinney said at an announcement ceremony at Sandy Creek High School on Friday morning. "I just felt like I was ready and I found the right school so now was the right time for me to become a Rebel."
Swinney had offers from most of the major players in the SEC and was strongly considering Ole Miss and Tennessee until late in the process. Ultimately it was recent visit to Oxford that put the Rebels over the top.
"It just felt like a family there," said Swinney, the No. 65 overall prospect in the country. "I loved the environment, the attitude of the coaches and it's a beautiful place. I can see myself liking in there, both as a football player or just as a student."
Swinney, who helped Sandy Creek win a state championship in Georgia's highest classification in 2012, said he knows he has to come in ready if he plans to play early in his career."
"I just have to work for my spot," he said. "I know nothing is given to me so I'll be ready when the time comes to go in there and compete."
With the addition of Williams, Ole Miss continues to build a pipeline to powerhouse Sandy Creek, in 2012 the Rebels signed three-star athlete Mike Hilton and followed that up by signing three-star defensive tackle Chris Williams earlier this year.
"It's nice to have those relationships there already," Swinney said. "I know I can have someone I can come home with, someone I can talk to that can show me the ropes and that's a good thing."
While playing time, teammates and location all came into play, it was the Rebels coaches that put Ole Miss over the top.
"Coach Freeze and Coach Nix are really down to Earth people," Swinney said. "Coach Nicks is one of the best running backs coaches I've ever met. We have a good relationship and Coach Harris is a fatherly type guy. When I was up there they had their family's there hanging out and that's something I've never seen before on a visit."
Swinney, who said he doesn't plan on taking any other visits going forward, becomes the highest ranked member of the Ole Miss 2015 class. The Rebels now have five verbal commitments, highlighted by Swinney and Rivals250 defensive back Ugo Amadi.
Woody Wommack is a Southeast Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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