Javon Swinton Heating Up As the Weather Gets Cooler
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Written by T.J. Inman
Javon Swinton has always done things quickly. As a high school star in Stafford, Virginia, Swinton was one of the fastest players in the state and he exploded for 858 yards on only 48 catches as a senior. He also used his speed and explosive athleticism to become North Stafford High School's all-time leading scorer.
After making his way to Bloomington, it appears he is ready to make a quick impact on the football field as well. IU head coach Tom Allen spoke to the media after IU's 12th practice on Monday and spoke glowingly about Swinton's ability.
"Javon Swinton continues to make plays. I am really encouraged by his consistency at this point," Allen said.
Swinton came in with the right mindset and has worked through a difficult offseason to navigate. "He came here with an extremely mature mindset of doing what he was asked to do, always being where he was supposed to be and has never had any issues. He was not a mid-year guy, so he came in the summer and it was a very unique summer. Everything he did academically is all remotely done and on Zoom with very little in person. That is hard for the new guys. He showed so much maturity through all that process, always doing everything he is supposed to do, learning the playbook, which is big."
Throughout each practice, the former three-star recruit that could have been a defensive back or wide receiver, has shown the playmaking ability the Hoosier coaches recruited him for.
"Obviously, at the end of the day he is making plays. He is very talented in the ball skill area. He is able to make difficult catches at times and consistent catches. Sometimes guys can make those tough catches and they drop the ones that are right there, but he has been very consistent in all those areas. His mindset and preparation, as he has tried to do everything right off the field, has led to him knowing what to do on the field. When he has had those opportunities, he continues to come up against guys we are trying to get ready to play, ones and twos, defensively, and he is making plays on the ball. To me, what I always tell my receivers is your job in the pass game is pretty simple: get open and catch football. I do not care how fast you are, it does not matter how high you can jump, but he obviously has natural talent. But, as a receiver, you have to catch football. He has been doing that well. Obviously, getting open is a big part of this, too. As his role, right now he has been running with the twos a lot. To me, he is in that next wave of guys that are going to get in there. He is going to play. I think it is a matter of as he learns more and more, he will play the more he learns and is able to physically handle the physicality of this game and the perimeter blocking it is required of our guys of that position," Allen said.
Based on those comments, it is fair to slot Swinton behind Whop Philyor, Ty Fryfogle and Miles Marshall. That puts him in a group with guys like Jacolby Hewitt, DaShaun Brown, Jordan Jakes and Rashawn Williams. IU knows they will need depth and Swinton appears to be a player ready to contribute in a larger way than anyone initially expected. He'll have his chance to start showing the nation what he can do in less than two weeks as IU kicks off against Penn State at 3:30 on national TV.