Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
The Unrelenting and Unmatched Motor of Ty Schwab
March 23, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
After a breakout junior season, the linebacker is back as a defensive centerpiece
Every college football program has that one player who exemplifies their system. He stands for all they want to represent, and he plays the game with an unmatched soul. His passion is evident, for no other reason other than his love of the game. He's every coach's dream because he works hard enough to become every opponent's nightmare.
For Boston College, Ty Schwab is that athlete. A senior on the Eagles, he's the prototype of a player ready to explode in his final campaign. As a true freshman, he found a home on special teams. As a sophomore, he worked his way into the defensive lineup but did whatever was asked of him by his coaches. As a junior, he became a regular starter and started his breakout as one of the unit's best players.
A product of the BC system, he's now looking at a senior year where, along with players like Connor Strachan and Harold Landry, he's a key cog of the defensive unit.
"I love all of our players, and I think football means a lot to each and every one of them," said defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jim Reid. "But you won't find someone who it means more to than Ty Schwab. He lives, eats, drinks, sleeps, walks, dreams - everything - about football. This spring, he has done just a tremendous job in the five practices that we have had."
That approach represents one of BC's best bets for a building block on his career-best junior season. Starting all 13 games for the Eagles, Schwab totaled 61 tackles and one sack, establishing himself as an impact player from the first snap. He made 16 tackles in the first two games against Georgia Tech and Massachusetts, half of which were solo efforts. He followed it with nine solo tackles against Clemson, then posted another nine tackles against Syracuse.
Against Louisville, he had two tackles for losses, pulling in his only sack of the season, and he picked off his first career interception against NC State. Over the final five games of the year, including the Quick Lane Bowl victory over Maryland, he had no less than three tackles.
"I learned to use my hands more," Schwab said of his style. "The coaches taught me how to be more stout against offensive lines, to get a better feel for the flow. I feel I've developed better instincts; it's a big change to make the jump from high school to playing Division I football in a league like the ACC. But I just keep striving to grow."
Growth is exactly what's happening for a player known as completely unrelenting. Coach Reid recalled how he would see Schwab watching film before sunrise in the linebacker room. "We can't say anything to him because of the 20-hour rule," Reid said, "but by the time we start practice, he's already got an hour of film work in. The guy is just awesome, and someone like that - it rubs off on everybody."
It's what experts predicted for Schwab when he was during his recruitment phase. A three-star prospect out of Merritt Island, Florida, ESPN's recruiting profile described him as having the "size, strength, range and playing speed for the outside linebacker position at the BCS level of play." It talked about how he would develop, complimenting him on his range while discussing his athleticism and toughness. But even the scouts couldn't measure his desire to be among the nation's best.
"On the field, you have to flip the switch," Schwab said. "I try to be a nice guy off the field, but once I'm on the field, I try to flip the switch and get mad and aggressive. I love playing football. It's my life, and I love everything about it. I want to be in this game for the rest of my life, as a player and when I'm done, I want to be able to coach. So, I want to give it everything I got to help make this team as good as possible."
It's that attitude - the desire to work as hard as possible within a team setting - that sets a player like Schwab apart. He works to extol the virtues of the game and reinforce the team concept. And even though the season doesn't start for another six months, Schwab is ensuring he can teach others exactly what will be expected.
"We want to compete for an ACC title," he said, "and I believe we can be a great team (at Boston College). We're not young anymore; we have some veterans on this team and we have a great camaraderie. We have a real burning desire to be great. The goal every year in the spring is to get better and build confidence. Each of my three springs, I've been able to get better and better. I'm excited to keep growing, but this spring is different. Our team demeanor is different, and there's something in the air. We have depth that's contributing, and it's really competitive.
"(At Boston College) we play with a chip on our shoulder," he continued. "We want to finish every play and play every second. Every snap is our last snap on the field so we're always going and competing, right down to the last second."
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For Boston College, Ty Schwab is that athlete. A senior on the Eagles, he's the prototype of a player ready to explode in his final campaign. As a true freshman, he found a home on special teams. As a sophomore, he worked his way into the defensive lineup but did whatever was asked of him by his coaches. As a junior, he became a regular starter and started his breakout as one of the unit's best players.
A product of the BC system, he's now looking at a senior year where, along with players like Connor Strachan and Harold Landry, he's a key cog of the defensive unit.
"I love all of our players, and I think football means a lot to each and every one of them," said defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Jim Reid. "But you won't find someone who it means more to than Ty Schwab. He lives, eats, drinks, sleeps, walks, dreams - everything - about football. This spring, he has done just a tremendous job in the five practices that we have had."
That approach represents one of BC's best bets for a building block on his career-best junior season. Starting all 13 games for the Eagles, Schwab totaled 61 tackles and one sack, establishing himself as an impact player from the first snap. He made 16 tackles in the first two games against Georgia Tech and Massachusetts, half of which were solo efforts. He followed it with nine solo tackles against Clemson, then posted another nine tackles against Syracuse.
Against Louisville, he had two tackles for losses, pulling in his only sack of the season, and he picked off his first career interception against NC State. Over the final five games of the year, including the Quick Lane Bowl victory over Maryland, he had no less than three tackles.
"I learned to use my hands more," Schwab said of his style. "The coaches taught me how to be more stout against offensive lines, to get a better feel for the flow. I feel I've developed better instincts; it's a big change to make the jump from high school to playing Division I football in a league like the ACC. But I just keep striving to grow."
Growth is exactly what's happening for a player known as completely unrelenting. Coach Reid recalled how he would see Schwab watching film before sunrise in the linebacker room. "We can't say anything to him because of the 20-hour rule," Reid said, "but by the time we start practice, he's already got an hour of film work in. The guy is just awesome, and someone like that - it rubs off on everybody."
It's what experts predicted for Schwab when he was during his recruitment phase. A three-star prospect out of Merritt Island, Florida, ESPN's recruiting profile described him as having the "size, strength, range and playing speed for the outside linebacker position at the BCS level of play." It talked about how he would develop, complimenting him on his range while discussing his athleticism and toughness. But even the scouts couldn't measure his desire to be among the nation's best.
"On the field, you have to flip the switch," Schwab said. "I try to be a nice guy off the field, but once I'm on the field, I try to flip the switch and get mad and aggressive. I love playing football. It's my life, and I love everything about it. I want to be in this game for the rest of my life, as a player and when I'm done, I want to be able to coach. So, I want to give it everything I got to help make this team as good as possible."
It's that attitude - the desire to work as hard as possible within a team setting - that sets a player like Schwab apart. He works to extol the virtues of the game and reinforce the team concept. And even though the season doesn't start for another six months, Schwab is ensuring he can teach others exactly what will be expected.
"We want to compete for an ACC title," he said, "and I believe we can be a great team (at Boston College). We're not young anymore; we have some veterans on this team and we have a great camaraderie. We have a real burning desire to be great. The goal every year in the spring is to get better and build confidence. Each of my three springs, I've been able to get better and better. I'm excited to keep growing, but this spring is different. Our team demeanor is different, and there's something in the air. We have depth that's contributing, and it's really competitive.
"(At Boston College) we play with a chip on our shoulder," he continued. "We want to finish every play and play every second. Every snap is our last snap on the field so we're always going and competing, right down to the last second."
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