At Sunday's Southern California Passing Down 7on7 Tournament, Downey (Calif.) wide receiver Jonathan Swindell mentioned he had a good feeling about the upcoming weeks in regards to recruiting.
"I'm probably going to get my first offer in two weeks from UNLV at their Junior Day," he had said.
However, three days later, the Rebels' coaches pulled the trigger.
"They called me and offered me about fifteen minutes into the conversation," said Swindell. "I'm still a bit in shock. It feels like a monkey off my back, but I'm going to work even harder now knowing that my dream is a reality."
Swindell is looking forward to taking his trip to UNLV campus, and is continuing to explore his options.
"Tulsa said said that if I go to the camp in June, they would offer me. I'm hearing from UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, San Diego State, and Missouri. Sometimes it gets hectic with school work and recruiting, but it's been a fun process," he said.
For Swindell, football is more than just a game; it's a part of him.
"As a kid growing up, I always used to cheer for USC. It's close to home and it's a big time school. Right now though, I don't care what school I go to, I just want to keep playing the game I love. It's a lot like life; sometimes you're down and you have to push through, and sometimes you're up and you have to just work hard. You learn a lot of things about life from football," he said.
Though he's received his first offer, the 6'3", 195 lb. prospect isn't taking any breaks. Aside from campus visits, Swindell is focusing on sharpening his skill set.
"I'm really explosive and aggressive, and I play a lot of mind games. I run a 4'3" 40, so I'm pretty fast. I'm trying to get to 200-205 lbs. before the season, and I think I'll hit my growth spurt over the summer, so I hope to be 6'4"," he said.
With only one season of high school football ahead of him, Swindell is set to make it the best yet.
"I love being able to compete and show off what you can do. I think we're going to be able to rebuild very well. We have a lot of young players, but we have a lot of energy and enthusiasm, some leadership, too," he said.
