Tyrone Swoopes' journey

*Originally published on ArmchairAllAmericans.com*

“Swoopes… Dancing… For the win… Texas is back folks!”

The Joe Tessitore call of Tyrone Swoopes’ instantly iconic game-clinching run against Notre Dame will live on for many years to come in the minds of Texas football fans. But in the aftermath of Swoopes’ dive into Texas football lore, it is easy to forget just how far the senior quarterback has come during his four years in Austin.

Heading into the much anticipated matchup with the Fighting Irish, Charlie Strong reportedly told his senior quarterback, “You’re going to have an opportunity to win this football game for us.”

And oh did he ever deliver on that promise.

Initially believed to be a strong candidate for a redshirt during the 2013 season, then-head coach Mack Brown instead decided to insert Swoopes, a raw prospect from Whitewright, Texas, into several games late in the season for “meaningful” game experience. In hindsight, the decision would prove to be less than ideal.

Beginning the 2014 season as the backup to senior David Ash, Swoopes was quickly thrust into the spotlight as Ash was forced to retire from football after the first game of the season. While experiencing the normal growing pains of a young quarterback, Swoopes was unable to turn in consistent performances on a weekly basis.

The 2014 Red River Showdown would be the high point of the season for the first-year starter. He accounted for 384 yards of total offense in a close 31-26 loss to the Sooners. Although a losing effort, the OU game looked to be a turning point in Swoopes’ development, as he topped 400 yards of total offense the following week against Iowa State.

However, the low points of Tyrone Swoopes’ career were on full display to end the 2014 campaign. In embarrassing back-to-back blowout losses to TCU and Arkansas, he would turn the ball over six times and showed no signs of developing into the promising player he once showed the potential of reaching.

Things would only get worse for him in the 2015 season opener in South Bend with Texas matched up against Notre Dame. While completing only seven passes for 93 yards, Swoopes performance would lose him the starting job to redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard, and he looked to be an afterthought for the Longhorn offense during the next several games.

Following heartbreaking losses to California and Oklahoma State, and with the 2015 season seemingly hanging in the balance, then-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell installed a wrinkle in the playbook that would reinvent Swoopes as an offensive weapon for Texas. That wrinkle came in the form of the now infamous “18-wheeler” package, a variation of the “Belldozer” package utilized by OU while Norvell was coaching on the opposite side of the Red River.

As Texas stunningly manhandled the 10th ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the Red River Showdown, Swoopes would once again turn in a solid performance in the Cotton Bowl. Even though the stat sheet would only show 14 yards on four carries, the impact he had on the outcome of the game cannot be understated. His tough running in the red zone, as well as a timely Tebow-esque jump throw for another touchdown, ultimately aided in getting Coach Strong his first signature win at Texas.

Taking his newfound situational role in stride, Swoopes exhibited the confidence and swagger that had been missing during his tenure as the starting quarterback. He would carry over momentum from the Red River game into the second half of the season as he turned in quality performances as a situational player against Kansas State and Kansas, totaling eight touchdowns (seven rushing, one passing). And when his number was called following a Jerrod Heard concussion near the end of the season, Swoopes was able to lead the Longhorns to an upset road win against the 12th ranked Baylor Bears.

Even as Charlie Strong played coy with the media during the offseason leading up to the 2016 season, many presumed the starting quarterback to be incoming freshman Shane Buechele. As fall camp came to a close, Swoopes had seemingly closed the gap on the wonder kid from Arlington, but ultimately Buechele got the nod.

The label of a “team first player” gets thrown around a good bit by coaches, media and fans alike, but there is no one on the Texas Longhorns football team (and maybe in the entire country) who embodies the term more than Tyrone Swoopes. Even after all of the criticisms and questions about his play during his time on campus, Swoopes has continued to grind and get better.

As he danced and darted past Irish defenders on Sunday night, Swoopes seemingly atoned for all of his inconsistent play that “earned” him so much criticism and hate during his time in Austin.

Whenever Swoopes’ run is brought up, it is important to remember just how far the small town kid from Whitewright has come; all of the trials and tribulations he has had to endure. Because Tyrone Swoopes has shown throughout his career that he is the embodiment of a team-first player. Whether or not people chose to accept that before his dive to greatness is a different issue.