Bradyn Swinson closing in on LSU’s single-season sack record held by Arden Key
In Year 2 at LSU, defensive end Bradyn Swinson has quickly emerged as one of the top defensive playmakers in the country. With seven sacks already this season, Swinson is now on record watch. He’s on pace to break Arden Key’s single-season school record of 12 sacks set in 2016.
With six games left in the regular season, Swinson needs just six more sacks to pass Key’s mark, a milestone that has stood for almost a decade. Over the past eight years, the closest a defender has come to the record was Harold Perkins Jr., with 8.5 sacks in 2022.
In LSU’s thrilling overtime win against Ole Miss, Swinson recorded a career-high eight tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and batted down two passes. Overall, LSU sacked Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart six times. For the third time this season, Swinson earned SEC Player of the Week as the top defensive lineman for Week 7 in the conference.
“We the top duo in the country, definitely,” Sai’vion Jones previously said about himself and Swinson as LSU’s defensive ends.
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Swinson also made a big 4th-and-1 stop in the first half to keep Ole Miss off the scoreboard.
“I feel like that was probably my biggest play of my career. I always want to take the next step in being a run defender. I just didn’t want to be a third-down guy. Being able to get in there, coaches put us in the right spots,” he said. “You just gotta check whoop ass sometimes and just go get the ball. That’s all you got to do.”
The defensive end’s rise this season comes as LSU looks to keep stacking wins in the conference and make a push in the College Football Playoff. His ability to get to the quarterback is not only benefiting the Tigers’ defense, which has improved since last season, but also putting him in the national spotlight as one of the top pass rushers in college football. Swinson currently ranks fifth nationally for most sacks this season.
The No. 8 Tigers travel this weekend to face unranked Arkansas Saturday night in Fayetteville.
