Stanford Wins Battle for Swinton : College signing: Montclair Prep tailback spurns Notre Dame, citing academic tradition and proximity of the Pac-10 school.

Students at Montclair Prep aren’t allowed to wear caps in school, but the staff made an exception for Eliel Swinton on Friday.

Swinton, the third-leading rusher in state history, attended all his classes wearing a bright red cap with a white “S” on the front. It was Swinton’s way of celebrating his decision to sign a letter of intent to play football at Stanford next season.

“The teachers let me wear it because this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” Swinton said.

A 5-foot-10, 185-pound tailback, Swinton said he will sign with Stanford on Feb. 3, the first day of the NCAA winter signing period.

Swinton, who finished his Montclair Prep career with 5,904 yards, chose Stanford over Notre Dame because he wanted to stay closer to home and because of Stanford’s academic reputation.

“Even though Notre Dame has a football tradition, Stanford has a great academic tradition,” said Swinton, who has maintained a 3.6 grade-point average and plans to major in pre-med.

Swinton already has surpassed the NCAA minimum score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test with an 840 and has been admitted to Stanford. But he is retaking the SAT today because he had chicken pox the first time and didn’t do as well as he would have liked, he said.

Swinton finished the season with 2,384 yards, a San Fernando Valley record. He was named Southern Section Division IX most valuable player, and Division V player of the year by Cal-Hi Sports. Recruited by about 50 schools, Swinton took trips to Stanford, Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon and Colorado.

He becomes another of the blue-chip skill-position players who have committed to play for Bill Walsh at Stanford, which is considered to have one of the top recruiting classes in the Pacific 10 Conference.

The list includes Los Alamitos quarterback Tim Carey, the Southern Section Division II player of the year; All-American Mike Mitchell of Phoenix, considered the top running back prospect in the West; and running back Justin Strand of Spokane, Wash., who chose Stanford over California and Washington.

“In a couple years, with Bill Walsh coaching, we could be national champions,” Swinton said.

Swinton, who said he was planning to pick Notre Dame before his trip to Stanford last weekend, said he was introduced to former 49ers Keena Turner and Mike Wilson, now Walsh assistants.

Swinton, a Jehovah’s Witness, said he also had religious reasons for not choosing Notre Dame, a Catholic school.

By selecting Stanford, Swinton will play once a year against close friend Tarik Smith, the Oak Park running back who has committed to Cal.

“I haven’t thought about that,” Swinton said. “That’s going to be some competition.”