LINDALE, Texas (KLTV) - Former Texas Longhorns quarterback and NFL tight end Tyrone Swoopes is the new tight ends coach at Lindale High School.
Swoopes joined East Texas Now on Monday to talk about joining the Eagles coaching staff. Swoopes said Lindale is a perfect fit.
“I got to talk to Chris and Matt Cochran and it felt like an immediate fit,” Swoopes said. “Both of them are good guys and both of them are believers which is really important to me as well. They put the kids first and they want what’s best for the kids and I think that’s the most important thing. So, it was just a perfect fit.”
Swoopes coached for a year during the 2022-2023 school year, but was working for a pipeline service company before deciding to get back into football.
“I was just trying to find myself, so I needed to take a step back and kind of get right with myself and figure out what I wanted to be and who I wanted to be,” said Swoopes. “Taking those couple of years off, it made me realize how much I love football and not only the game of football, but the things that it can do for my life and other people’s lives.”
Swoopes played football at the University of Texas from 2013-2016. He played in 40 games for the Longhorns and ranks 13th on the UT career passing yards list with 3,308 and is sixth in school history among quarterbacks with 967 rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns with 24.
“We were through a lot of transitions. I’m pretty sure we had four offensive coordinators in my time there,” Swoopes said. “So, it was a lot of transitioning and moving parts, but at the end of the day, that’s something that was outside of my control...Being in Austin and being able to put that burnt orange on is once in a lifetime and I’m glad I got to do it.”
After playing his last collegiate game, Swoopes made the transition to tight end to prepare for the NFL.
“My agent at the time, Scott Casterline, brought it up to me and was like ‘hey, I think you really have a chance to move to tight end and get picked up somewhere’,” said Swoopes. “It was full throttle trying to figure out the new position. Putting your hand in the ground and making calls and actually putting your hands on people is a lot different than playing quarterback. So, it was kind of a little bit of a shock.”
Swoopes, a 4-star recruit out of Whitewright High School, is looking to help kids deal with the spotlight.
“I’ll be able to relate to how hard it is and having to go to the camps and do the right things off the field and do the right things in the classroom,” Swoopes said. “Hopefully I can give them some tidbits and knowledge here and there to help them kind of be ahead of the game whenever they get the opportunity at the next level.”
Swoopes is eager to be introduced to East Texas football.
“Firsthand, I’m not really familiar with it,” said Swoopes. “I found some games on YouTube and it’s just a different atmosphere. Everybody’s into it. Everybody’s watching the game from the stands and even on fence watching...I haven’t really experienced it, but I’m excited about it.”
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