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How BYU freshman tight end Ryner Swanson is balancing football and preparing for mission to Kenya

BYU freshman tight end Ryner Swanson moves upfield against the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday, September 14, 2024, in Laramie, Wyoming. | Jaren Wilkey/BYU

BYU’s Ryner Swanson has made a bigger impact in his only year of college football before he serves a two-year church mission to Kenya than he imagined he would, but there’s one play the 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end wishes he had back.

“Pass catching-wise, I think I have been doing pretty well. That second pass in the Kansas State game, however, I should have hurdled that nerd,” he said of a low tackle by KSU’s Keenan Garber. “Yeah, he got my knees pretty good. I am all good, though.”

Swanson, the former four-star recruit, has slowly emerged as TE2 for the Cougars, especially in passing situations. He’s doing exactly what coaches said he would do when they recruited him out of Laguna Beach, California, beating the likes of Alabama, Oregon, Utah and Washington for his services.

That promise showed itself in spring camp — Swanson enrolled early after catching 50 passes for 717 yards and nine touchdowns his senior season of prep ball — and has been apparent through four games. Swanson’s speed, size, agility and pass-catching ability has made it difficult for coaches to keep him off the field, although the Cougars’ 11-player tight ends room is loaded with talent and skill.

“It has been cool,” Swanson told the Deseret News Wednesday as the No. 22 Cougars continued preparations for Saturday’s Big 12 battle with Baylor (10 a.m. MDT, FS1) at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. “I had been out for a lot of fall camp (with a high ankle sprain), so I am feeling just really lucky to be getting the reps I have been getting.”

BYU freshman tight end Ryner Swanson makes a catch against the Wyoming Cowboys on Friday, September 14, 2024, in Laramie, Wyoming. |…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/byu-freshman-tight-end-ryner-015703647.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-09-27 01:57:03

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

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