HOUSTON — At 6 feet 4 inches and 326 pounds, T’vondre Sweat is easily one of the most feared defensive linemen in the country, and this season, the fifth-year senior has been right in the middle of much of the Texas Longhorns’ success.
But at the heart of Sweat’s story is the woman who raised him.
"Without that woman, I wouldn’t even be in this situation," says Sweat over FaceTime.
"He’s a ‘momma’s boy’ for real," says his mom Shun Ross.
"It’s always, ‘I’m gonna call my mom or ‘Let me talk to my mom’ or Mom this, mom that' and we just have a good bond," Ross said.
It's a bond that Ross says was formed during his childhood, growing up on the south side of Houston.
“We’ve always been close," she said. "It’s always been me and my three boys."
"Tee” – as Ross calls him – is the youngest, and from an early age, she saw something special.
“When did you have an idea that football might be in his future?” asked KHOU's Zack Tawatari.
“I think one day he was playing basketball, and we were playing for YMCA Downtown Houston, and he was playing and I was like ‘Oh the next NBA or NFL, so I kind of spoke that into existence," said Ross.
The next step of what she manifested would lead to Huntsville where Sweat would play for Huntsville High School, becoming an all-state defensive lineman and a top recruit with lots of options as to where he’d continue his football career. It was a decision Ross said all along was in his hands.
"He always had on Texas gloves so I was like he’s going to want to go to Texas," she said. He always wears the gloves.”
The other reason? It didn’t hurt, Ross said, that Austin was only a few hours away.
"He didn’t want to leave Texas," she said. "He wanted to be close to me."
Earlier this month, Sweat was awarded the Outland Trophy for being recognized as the best interior lineman in the country, an achievement he dedicated to Ross.
"I almost started crying on TV,” she said. “I always tell him, if you want it, you’ve gotta work hard for it and he showed this year that he really wanted it."
And now Sweat, who played in the UIL playoffs at NRG Stadium in 2018 as a high schooler, is on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff semifinal, where a win would bring him and his team to the championship.
"I’m very excited. I give all the credit to my teammates," Sweat said. "Without those guys, we wouldn’t even be in this situation."
For Sweat, winning is personal.
“I think this game’s going to be personal," he said. "This game going to be real personal and I could bring the ‘natty’ back home."
Texas plays Washington in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on January 1.