UA: Injured Sweat honored to be among best
By Matthew Hatfield
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The ascension to stardom was sudden and spectacular for Chesapeake (Va.) Oscar Smith 6-foot-5, 236-pound defensive end Josh Sweat.
Rated a five-star talent from the Class of 2015 by Rivals.com, Sweat came out of nowhere during his junior season, his first as a starter on the varsity level. He recorded 22 sacks, tying a school-record as he helped the Tigers win their fifth regional title and finish 14-1 overall with an appearance in Group 6A State Championship.
On Wednesday afternoon in a ceremony held at Oscar Smith High School, Sweat received his Under Armour All-American jersey. The game that will be televised on ESPN2 on Jan. 2 in Florida.
"I never imagined it," Sweat said of receiving the honor. "But I remember about two [or] three years ago, I was like 'I'll be the No. 1 player in the country,' and everybody just laughed at me. It's definitely a big thing, being recognized as one of the top in your state and you're recognized pretty much everywhere. It's truly an honor."
Sweat is the fourth Under Armour All-American for the Tigers, following the likes of Alabama quarterback Phillip Sims, former Penn State defensive lineman Evan Hailes and current Virginia defensive tackle Andrew Brown.
"Josh is one of the greatest football players ever to wear the blue and gold here at Oscar Smith and one of it not the best football players in America," Oscar Smith head coach Rich Morgan said. "There's nothing where you say you wish he did this better or that better. He doesn't have a weakness and is the total package in that he does everything right on an off the field. That's a credit to him and a credit to his family. You're honored to coach him."
In addition to his on-the-field exploits, Sweat excels in the classroom as well, currently maintaining a 3.5 grade point average. When his playing days are over, he indicated that he would like to be a history teacher one day.
The 2014 season started with a bang for Sweat, who recorded 23 tackles, 15 for loss and eight sacks on defense while scoring four touchdowns (three rushing and one receiving) before the end of his team's third game. Unfortunately, Sweat suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Tigers' 56-14 win over Western Branch.
Despite not being able to play another game in an Oscar Smith uniform, Sweat has been very upbeat as he watches his team with a 6-1 overall record chase their third State Championship, .
"I'm impressed with his maturity and his ability to handle it," admitted Morgan. "Honestly, he handled it better than I did. For about two weeks, I was a mess. He was down that one night in the hospital when I was with him, but since then his spirits have been up, he's focused on getting better, knows he's going to get better and knows that his future is bright. It's unbelievably scary to think where he could be by the time he's 22. The sky's the limit for him."
Sweat recently started rehab on his injury left knee. He plans to be walking within three to four weeks and potentially running again in four to five months, according to his doctors.
"It's going excellent. There's not any pain at all. I'm getting the motion back in my leg," said Sweat, who tied the Oscar Smith record for career sacks with 30 earlier this year. "Surprisingly, it actually wasn't that stiff when I first started. It's still almost as flexible as it used to be. By the time I heal, I'll definitely be all the way flexible, get all that motion back. Everything's going real good, better than I thought it would."
While he goes through the rehab process, Sweat will also be dealing with the recruiting process in the weeks to come. Due to his injury, he pushed back some of his visits and will take them beginning Nov. 15, with a decision likely to come either later that month or in early December.
"I'll be going to see Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgia. It's the second time for Georgia and Florida State. I've been to Virginia Tech several times already, so I'll be getting back there for an official just to see them play. I've been to Ohio State already; they're in the mix, too," Sweat noted.
"I've got to get them out the way, then I'll make the decision maybe about two weeks after that or some time in December. Maybe try to get it a couple weeks before I leave to college."
Matthew Hatfield has covered football and basketball since 2004 for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network. Check out Hatfield's Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don't forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1, plus watch him on the Cox 11 Sports Report.
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