South Carolina senior defensive back Vicari Swain has landed among the five finalists for The Jet Award, putting him in the running for college football’s top return specialist honor.
Swain is the only defensive player on the finalist list for the award, which is in its 16th year and is named for former Nebraska Heisman Trophy winner and College Football Hall of Famer Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers.
His case is built on a season full of explosive returns and a record-setting afternoon against Towson on Sept. 12.
Swain took back two punts for touchdowns in that game, giving him four and then five career punt return scores at South Carolina. That pushed him past Dick Harris, who had held the school record for 55 years from 1969-71.
Swain’s scoring returns came from 58 yards with 9:37 left in the first quarter and 45 yards with 3 seconds remaining in the third, and the performance also earned him SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time in his career.
The numbers have stayed strong all season. Swain has averaged 12.8 yards per return on 18 attempts, making him one of three SEC players with at least 15 punt returns.
Among FBS players with 15 or more returns, his average ranks fourth, and his 231 punt return yards sit eighth nationally. His five career punt return touchdowns are tied for third-most in SEC history.
He’s also been a steady presence on defense, starting all nine games at cornerback. The Carrollton, Ga. native has 20 tackles, three pass breakups, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and an interception.
That interception came in a key spot late in the first half of South Carolina’s 38-19 road win at No. 16/15 Florida on Oct. 10, when he returned it 18 yards to set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from LaNorris Sellers to Mazeo Bennett Jr. on the next drive.
That sequence helped the Gamecocks take a 17-10 lead into halftime, and Swain was part of a defense that held the nation’s No. 5 scoring offense, averaging 46.2 points per game, to 19 points at home.
South Carolina’s recent surge has also boosted Swain’s profile. The Gamecocks have won four straight SEC games and climbed to No. 17 in the second edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings.
Over that stretch, the defense has allowed 19.3 points per game and has given up just two touchdowns in the last 10 quarters, dating back to the second half of the 27-24 win over No. 11/11 Tennessee on Oct. 24 at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The 2026 Jet Award winner will be chosen by a voting panel that includes media members from the Football Writers Association of America, former Jet Award winners and founders Johnny Rodgers and William Reed. The award will be presented at the Jet Award Gala on April 8, 2027.
The other finalists are Jaylon Hawkins of San Diego State, Easton Messer of Florida Atlantic, Michael Scott of James Madison and Javon Tracy of Minnesota.
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