Swayze Bozeman

Early life

Bozeman was born on November 2, 1998, in Flora, Mississippi. He attended Tri-County Academy in Flora where he competed in football, basketball and track and field. In football, he played on both defense and at running back, helping his school to two MAIS AA state championship appearances. He graduated from Tri-County in 2017 and opted to play college football for the Copiah–Lincoln Wolves, a community college team.

College career

Bozeman played at safety for Copiah–Lincoln in 2017 before switching to linebacker in 2018. As a sophomore in 2018, he was named All-Region after posting a team-leading 91 tackles. He was also a first-team All-Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) selection. He concluded his two-year stint with the Wolves having totaled 133 tackles in 19 games played.

Bozeman signed with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to continue his collegiate career, becoming the first NCAA Division I football player from his high school since 2002. He saw significant playing time in his first year with the team, 2019. He ended up starting eight games while playing in all 13, recording 57 tackles, 6.0 tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and 4.5 sacks. He started all six games in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, totaling 42 tackles, then played in four games before taking a redshirt due to injury in 2021, after having made 20 tackles. He appeared in three games in 2022, missing time due to injury, and made 13 tackles as well as returned a fumble for a touchdown. In his final year, 2023, he appeared in six games, making 36 tackles. He concluded his tenure at Southern Miss having recorded 168 tackles, 12.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks in 32 games played.