UCF Player Preview: OT Ryan Swoboda
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Going into the winter months prior to spring practice, there was no sure starter at either tackle position for the Knights. With the following player coming over from Virginia and quickly establishing himself on the right side, it looks like one of the two tackle positions is taken.
Note: The two prior players listed in the countdown that anyone can view would be Lokahi Pauole and Matt Lee.
Ryan Swoboda
Virginia ➡️ UCF@ryan_swoboda is official ⚔️ #UCFirstCla22 pic.twitter.com/10y1Zmzj42
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) February 2, 2022
Size: 6’10”, 325-pounds
Position: Offensive Tackle
Swoboda at Virginia
Swoboda was at Virginia from The Cavaliers were a potent offense in 2021, averaging 515.8 yards per game, good for third nationally. Virginia also averaged 34.6 points per game, ranking 21st nationally. Swoboda started 11 of the 12 games for the Cavaliers during their tremendous offensive performance.
Swoboda also started all 10 of the games for the Cavaliers in 2020, helping him start 21 of the 22 games the Cavaliers played during a two-year span.
Interesting note: in 2018, Swoboda started against Ohio State as a tight end.
Rush Attack
Virginia was a pass-heavy team in 2021, so rushing attempts were down. Further, the offensive line was working on pass protection much more than run blocking because of the passing game. Still, despite fewer repetitions for the running backs, the Cavaliers averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season. Consider that a solid total for a team that concentrated so much on passing the football.
Passing Game
One of the keys to Virginia’s success would be Brennan Armstrong, the southpaw that threw for 4,449 yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. As long as Armstrong was protected by his offensive line, the chances of something good happening were very high. The Cavaliers sometimes struggled to keep him out of harm's way, but Swoboda only gave up five sacks in over 500 pass attempts. That’s impressive.
2022 Projection
Swoboda will be switching gears with how he prepares and what his offensive unit runs. UCF is more downhill, power football. The play-action passes are what UCF works towards setting up along with short passes to quick playmakers like Ryan O’Keefe.
The only big question is how well will Swoboda drive block? He’s 6’10”, so it’s hard for him to win the leverage battle. He does possess a really long wingspan, so that should aid his run blocking production.
Overall, UCF was fortunate to see Swoboda come back home to the Orlando area, as he’s from Clearmont, just west of the city. He’s an excellent addition to the Knights as Head Coach Gus Malzahn's squad prepares for the 2022 schedule.
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