For Oregon defensive end Bradyn Swinson, fighting through blindside blocks and filling gaps has not always come easy.
Swinson tore his right meniscus against Ohio State, but returned to action against Cal to make a game-saving tackle.

On third-and-goal from the three-yard line, the Golden Bears attempted a disguised quarterback sneak, but Swinson sniffed out the trickery and broke up the play.

“Bradyn made a big-time play coming underneath the block and getting the quarterback down,” Oregon defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said.

The stop’s difficulty was heightened by its timing, and soon after Swinson’s injury. But Swinson has never let life’s unforeseen circumstances come between him and the sport he loves. Years before Oregon recruited the 6-foot-4 defensive end from Douglasville, Georgia, Swinson was a scrawny kid unsure where the future of his football career was headed—only to see that career nearly derailed by a car accident and lingering injury.

Since coming to Oregon, he’s maximized every opportunity.

After a quiet first season in a Ducks uniform, the second-year freshman was entrusted with a starting role after Kayvon Thibodeaux sustained a leg injury against Fresno State.

Swinson stepped into that role and immediately produced. He had five tackles, including one sack, in Oregon’s upset victory at Ohio State. 

Just as it seemed Swinson was establishing himself as a core piece of the Ducks’ defensive line rotation, life stunted his success. He slightly tore his meniscus and was forced to miss the next three games.
At first, he was discouraged by the news.

It marked the first time in Swinson’s football career where he was forced to miss game action. For someone who prides himself on consistently showing up for his teammates, Swinson was lost—unaware of how he could contribute to the Ducks while he was forced to sit out.

His mother Kelli reminded him that going to physical therapy every day and staying focused on getting back to the best version of himself was a huge contribution to the team.

Swinson dedicated himself to the recovery process. He worked diligently with the Ducks’ training staff and returned within the three-week timeline they set.

“I feel even better than before I hurt my knee,” Swinson said.

Swinson showed up in crunch time against Cal and contributed another sack this past week in the Ducks’ 34-31 victory over the UCLA Bruins.

His ability to maximize a recovery process and stay level-headed while watching his teammates from the sidelines dates back to eighth grade when he and Kelli were in a car accident.
Headed home from school on Georgia’s Interstate-20, a vehicle was stopped in the middle of the highway. In a maneuver to avoid oncoming traffic and protect her son, Kelli swerved right, ensuring the left side of the car would collide with the stopped vehicle.

Directly following the accident, it seemed they had escaped without any significant injuries. 

Months later, Swinson, who was a two-sport athlete in high school, began to feel discomfort in his back and lower body during baseball season. He and his mom decided to see a physical therapist who diagnosed Swinson with a spinal tilt.

Swinson began a recovery process that would help realign his spinal cord. It resulted in a significant growth spurt. Within two weeks of exercises, he shot up two inches, Kelli said, and eventually grew to 6-foot-4.

Swinson recalled needing time to feel comfortable in his new body type. But once he made that adjustment, he began to establish himself as one of the elite high school football stars in Georgia.

“After going through that therapy, he exploded as a football player,” Kelli said.
Excelling at high school football in Georgia is a direct ticket to playing in the SEC. During his junior season, Swinson began to receive recruiting attention from Missouri, Georgia and Alabama, along with numerous schools in the ACC.
Swinson was on track to achieve the dream that many young football players aspire to. But he quickly grew unsure if the SEC was the right move. Alabama and Georgia build their defensive lines with size, so they viewed Swinson as a “tweener” — too small to play defensive end, but too big for line-backer.

Then Oregon called.

“Oregon always had a plan for Bradyn,” Kelli said. “I’ve never seen my son as happy as he was while he was talking to the Oregon coaches and visiting the school.”

Playing on a star-studded defensive line that includes Thibodeaux, Brandon Dorlus, Keyon Ware-Hudson and Popo Aumavae, Swinson doesn’t find himself in the spotlight often.

That has never bothered Swinson, whose comfort shifting between a starting role and a complementary spot comes from his “win together, lose together” mentality. Success has followed for a lineman who weaves around blocks like he has obstacles.  

“Bradyn showed me he was willing to put it all on the line for himself and his teammates when he played both sides and almost played himself into exhaustion,” Kelli said. “He didn’t come off the field until the end of the game. And, when he did, his teammates had to splash water on him to cool his body down.”