To say that defensive tackle J.R. Sweezy had a difficult offseason would be an understatement. The redshirt junior’s name was the talk of Raleigh during the spring and summer months, as he was in trouble with the law on two occasions.
The first incident came on March 20 and involved an altercation with a shuttle bus driver late at night, leaving Sweezy with alleged misdemeanor assault and larceny charges. The charges caused coach Tom O’Brien to suspend him from the team indefinitely.
The second set of accusations came in late April and was drug-related, as Sweezy and two other Wolfpack football players, offensive tackle Jake Vermiglio and defensive tackle Markus Kuhn, were charged with possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and maintaining a dwelling for the purpose of using a controlled substance.
However, all charges against Sweezy and his teammates were dropped, the first on June 3 and the second set on Sept. 20, allowing Sweezy to rejoin the team and begin to build back his reputation and be able to play football once again. Sweezy said he takes away a lot of lessons from those off-season experiences.
“I grew up a lot obviously, realizing that people make stupid decisions,” Sweezy said. “Even though it may not be particularly your fault, you can still get caught up in it and be associated with certain things.”
Throughout the summer, when Sweezy was going through his trying time, he knew his teammates were behind him 100 percent and supporting him, no matter what happened.
“I had support through everything, phone calls every night, asking how I was doing,” Sweezy said. “I went through a bit of a rough spot where I didn’t know what was going on because it was out of my hands and I didn’t really have any control over it.
“All these guys were just there for me. We are a family and I would do the same thing for them – call them everyday just like they did me. I just knew they were behind me the whole way.”
And when Sweezy was finally able to rejoin his teammates on the gridiron, the redshirt junior called his return an unbelievably gratifying feeling.
“It feels great to just get back on the field,” Sweezy said. “There for a while I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play football again, much less play in a N.C. State jersey. I was just blessed to be able to do that and actually come out here and start and be a part of this great team that is doing special things around here.”
The defensive tackle from Mooresville, N.C., has done much more than put on a jersey again. He has started all seven games he has played in after not playing against Western Carolina in the season opener. In that time, Sweezy has recorded one sack and 27 tackles, the most among defensive lineman. And defensive coordinator Mike Archer has taken note.
“He has solidified the running game for us. He is a big body and he uses up a lot of blockers and has freed the backers, Nate Irving, Terrell Manning and Audie Cole, and allowed them to make plays,” Archer said. “When he is asked to rush the passer he has done a good job pushing the pocket. He has made improvement and continued to improve and we hope that he continues to get better.”
Redshirt junior defensive end Jeff Rieskamp has also noticed Sweezy’s improvement, especially because Sweezy’s strong play has meant more blockers on him and fewer on Rieskamp.
“He is the kind of guy that works really hard and keeps his eye on the prize. He has come into his own this season,” Rieskamp said. “He has become his own man now. He plays like J.R. Sweezy now and has played really well.”
Some people in football refer to the defensive tackle position as one that lacks glamor, as the position’s main responsibilities are to take up space and fill holes. Sweezy’s ability to take on more than one blocker and free up the linebackers, has helped the defense become one of the most improved in the ACC.
“Our linebackers are so good that if they just want us to take up the gaps and let them run around and make plays, that is fine with me,” Sweezy said. “That is what we have been doing all year and it seems to be working well.”
But this was not always the case. After moving over from the defensive end position last season, Sweezy said he wouldn’t able to push the bigger offensive guards around as much as he has this season had he not have gotten bigger and stronger over the off-season.
“Last year I was kind of light and was getting pushed around a little bit,” Sweezy said. “But to prepare for this season I ate five meals at least a day, drank three protein shakes a day and just worked my butt of running and lifting. I pretty much slept in the weight room and just worked hard as I could.”