Season recap: Jimmy Stewart
Jimmy Stewart spent his senior season at Island Coast High in Cape Coral, Fla., getting a little more on-field action than your typical Division I defensive recruit might expect.
The 6-foot-3½, 215-pound Maryland linebacker commitment played defensive end for the Gators, but opposing offenses didn’t shy away from testing him. The reason for that stood down the line in the form of Aaron Lynch, a Florida State recruit and the 90th-ranked senior prospect in the country according to Rivals.com.
“Jimmy loved it, to be honest with you,” said Island Coast coach Joe Bowen. “It was always entertaining. Lynch would get so mad because Jimmy’s getting all the tackles and sacks. People were more concerned with Lynch – not taking anything away from Jimmy. He’s a heck of a ball player. It was somewhat comical from a coaching standpoint because those two would get after each other. I would enjoy it.”
In addition to enjoying the good-natured competition between his star defensive ends, Bowen especially enjoyed their production. Stewart finished his senior season with about 40 tackles (23 solo) and 13 sacks. The future Terp also caught two touchdown passes at the wide receiver position. Stewart’s versatility paid off for Bowen all year long.
“We had him all over the place,” Bowen said. “He’s a tremendous athlete. We had him at the linebacker position, but he primarily played defensive end. Whenever there was a guy in the slot, we always kicked him out. In the second playoff game, again, he played assignment football. We told him to stay home, and just be there waiting for something. And he had a pick-6. The quarterback was trying to throw a bubble screen and Jimmy just jumped it.”
With a senior-laden team led by Stewart and Lynch on the line, Island Coast was explosively offensively and dominant defensively. During their 11-2 season, the Gators shut out seven opponents. Stewart’s high school career ended with Island Coast’s 34-28 loss to University High of Fort Lauderdale in the Florida Class 2B state semifinals. With that excruciating defeat, Bowen said goodbye to one of his hardest-working players.
“The one thing about Jimmy is, from a coaching standpoint, I’m going to miss him because you know what you’re getting with him,” Bowen said. “I had him for four years. He hasn’t missed one practice. If he’s sick, he’s going to come to work. If something’s wrong with the house, he’s going to work. He’s coming here no matter what. He’s very disciplined.”
Bowen said that despite the Terps’ coaching change, Stewart always remained “gung-ho about Maryland.” The news this week that his recruiter -- Maryland defensive coordinator Don Brown -- would be brought back to College Park was an even bigger bonus. Bowen said the Terps can expect Stewart to give his all every single day.
“The thing about it that separates him from some other kids that are out there is that he’s a hard worker,” Bowen said. “He’s going to keep on working until he does get it. He’s got great speed and he’s going to give it everything’s he got. He’s blue collar, and he’s bringing his lunch pail to work every day. He’s going to give it everything he’s got. That’s the one thing Maryland is getting.”
