Downers Grove South senior offensive tackle Erik Swenson can finally shift his focus back to football.
Swenson, a consensus four-star recruit, orally committed to Oklahoma via Twitter on Saturday during an official visit, just four days before National Signing Day on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-7, 310-pound Swenson ended a turbulent period after Michigan pulled his scholarship offer on Jan. 20. The Tribune First-Team All-State honoree orally committed to Michigan on Nov. 25, 2013, and was the first player to pledge to Michigan’s Class of 2016.
Swenson’s recruiting ordeal gained national attention after he revealed that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh did not talk to him about his scholarship status and admitted shock that his scholarship offer was rescinded.
“It was a very, very hectic couple of weeks, but I feel Erik is in a better spot, and in a place that they want him and are excited to have him,” Downers Grove South coach Mark Molinari said. “Erik couldn’t be more excited. I’m very happy for him. He’s a young man who did all the right things and then was told so late he wasn’t wanted by a school. It had nothing to do with football or his character and was just bad timing. It was very hard and difficult for him. He had a hard time comprehending the situation.
“Oklahoma came in right away and thought it was a great fit. His visit went great the last couple of days, and he’s thrilled to go there.”
Ranked as the No. 5 senior prospect in the state by 247sports.com, Swenson had between “six and eight offers,” according to Molinari.
“It’s hard to say how many offers that Erik had, but several Big Ten and ACC schools were involved, and he had interest from about 20 schools,” he said. “With some schools, we didn’t get to that point of an offer because there was so much work to do in such a little time.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
