Swart stays a Rockets man through coaching change
The emails and phone calls stopped, and Nate Swart lost quite a few followers on Twitter, but the Washington High School senior is relieved the reruiting process is finally over.
He didn’t care about the attention or the college coaches trying to change his mind. All that mattered to Swart, who is ranked among the top tight ends in the state by Rivals.com, was he found his next home.
Swart signed his letter of intent Wednesday morning to continue his academic and football careers at University of Toledo. He gave an oral commitment in late March and never wavered, despite a coaching change by the Rockets last month.
“It took a lot of stress and heat off my shoulders, to be honest with you,” Swart said. “It’s funny because a bunch of coaches unfollowed me on Twitter after I signed. I’m just glad the whole thing is over with and I don’t have to worry about where I’m going anymore. It’s a relief.”
The 6-5, 225-pound tight end caught eight passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns for the Prexies’ run-heavy offense last fall. He also had 44 tackles, including 16 for a loss, as a defensive end. His size and blocking ability – he was key for an offense that ran for 2,979 yards – caught the eye of Division I coaches across the region.
His recruitment began to heat up after a junior season in which he was named first-team all-Interstate Conference and the Observer-Reporter's Elite 11.
Former Toledo head coach Matt Campbell offered a full scholarship to Swart in late March. Swart didn’t see a reason to continue the recruiting process, but things changed when Campbell took the same job at Iowa State in November.
Youngstown State continued to pursue Swart and Wake Forest tight ends coach Adam Scheirer paid him a visit leading up to signing day. When Toledo offensive coordinator Jason Candle, who was the first to recruit Swart, was promoted to head coach last month, Swart decided to stick with the Rockets.
“Once he was hired, it was over,” Swart said. “I enjoyed coaches sending me emails and calling me, but I was a man of my word and that’s what my dad taught me to be. I never switched. It was pretty much one school for me the entire time.”
As college coaches reached out to Swart or contacted Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic throughout the month of January, Candle made sure to reinforce the Rockets’ interest. He traveled to Swart’s basketball game at Brownsville last month and his tight ends coach, Robby Discher, watched Wash High’s win over Chartiers-Houston.
“Nate Swart has very good ball skills,” Candle said in a news release. “He has the frame to be a very good tight end for us. He’s a big-time blocker who can play off the ball and do the things we ask our tight ends to do.”
Swart was the only tight end in the Rockets’ recruiting class that also included Central Catholic running back Ronnie Jones. The excitement of joining a program that won 10 games last season, including victories over Arkansas, Iowa State and Temple, was too much for Swart to pass up.
“I’m really eager to get there,” Swart said. “I think I’m really set up for success where I’m going; with the weight room, the facilities and the coaching staff. I’m in good hands.”
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mel Blount was on hand for his son’s signing day ceremony at Wash High Wednesday.
Khalid Blount, a 6-1, 295-pound defensive tackle, will continue his academic and athletic careers at Duquesne University – in the same city in which his father won four Super Bowls. He chose the Dukes over offers from Robert Morris, New Hampshire, North Carolina A&T and several Division II programs.
He is not the family’s only Division I athlete. His oldest brother, Akil, finished a standout career at Florida A&M and is likely headed for a spot in an NFL training camp this summer. Another brother, Jabri, is a freshman forward on Cleveland State’s basketball team.
“You are so proud,” Mel Blount told Steelers.com. “The insight we have as guys who have been down the road, we know the difficulties, the hard work that goes into this. It makes you appreciate the effort your kids put in. It’s going to take a lot of work, sacrifice and commitment. It teaches them at an early age the importance of hard work, sacrifice and being a team player. Together, you can accomplish a lot of things. You have to be able to depend on each other. That’s the way life is, no matter what field you are in. You have to have teammates you can depend on.”
The WPIAL basketball steering committee will meet Monday night and the playoff brackets will be revealed at the annual pairings meeting Tuesday night, which will begin at 7 p.m.
Preliminary round games can begin as early as Thursday and the tournament will conclude with the eight WPIAL championship games at Petersen Events Center Feb. 26-27.