LSU’s Bradyn Swinson’s Career-High 3 Sacks Were A Tribute To His Grandmother

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

LSU defensive end Bradyn Swinson left South Carolina in what he called a “three-piece” Saturday.

Not a suit. Little too hot for a vest right now. But he wore three sacks on the flight home after the Tigers’ 36-33 win.

“Probably last time I had three sacks was in high school,” Swinson said Tuesday at LSU player interviews. “Or I haven’t had a performance like that ever.”

Eleven LSU players recorded sacks last season. Only three had more than three.

“Doing something like that, it builds your confidence up,” said Swinson, a senior from Douglasville, Georgia, who is in his second season at LSU after three at Oregon. “It kind of surprised me when I did it. I’m glad it clicked.”

But he was not alone.

“My teammates really set me up, though,” he said. “If you really look at the film, they were there setting it up. It wasn’t just me going out there and getting it. They had them (South Carolina blockers) caged in.”

LSU defensive end Bradyn Swinson spent a lot of time in South Carolina’s backfield. (LSU Photo).

Often, South Carolina’s blockers flocked to linebacker Harold Perkins in the middle of the field, freeing up Swinson and fellow defensive end Sai’vion Jones, who also had one of LSU’s five sacks.

Swinson had only two sacks last season in 12 games with one start. He entered the game with zero sacks.

There was one more reason for Swinson’s sack mastery. He had his maternal grandmother, Dawna Lynn David, on his mind. She passed away on Sept. 1 – the day of LSU’s game against USC.

“I feel like I was playing off the strength of my grandmother passing and her watching over me,” he said. “I really just put that game towards her, and all the credit goes to her and all my coaches.”

Swinson plans on building on his game Saturday when the No. 16 Tigers (2-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) host UCLA (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten) at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.

“You already have a feeling in the back of your mind of what you think you are,” he said. “And then when you got out there and do something like that, it’s different because you know what you are.”