Decided to Fly: Ben Stewart
By Quinn Kelly
Ben Stewart
From: Indianapolis, Indiana
High School: Cathedral
Position: S
Ht/Wt: 5’11” 205
Twitter: @ben_stewart7
Ratings:
ESPN Rating: 75, 3 star
247 Rating: 85, 3 star
Rivals Rating: 3 star
Highlight Tape:
High School Stats:
Stewart finished his senior season with 69 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. He is one of the more decorated members of the incoming class, having been named to the Indiana All-State team three times (in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons) and winning the Indiana Defensive Player of the Year award this past season. He was a captain on both his football and wrestling team.
Addazio’s Take:
“Ben Stewart … He’s a multi-sport performer, All-State football player, a guy who might be as tough as anybody I’ve seen ever coming out of high school. He’s a wrestler and going to compete for the state title. I’ve watched some of his videos and wrestling, and you would not want your son competing against him on the wrestling mats, I’m telling you. He’s unbelievable … His maturity, his mind-set is different than your average high school player, okay. Fantastic.”
Stewart on Commitment:
“I chose Boston College because throughout my recruiting process I was always told to find that one school you felt like you were at home with, felt like you were part of the family, that you just overall fit best with, and I felt like there was no school that competed with Boston College in that regard. As soon as I got to Boston College for the first time I found out that the way the coaches coach is exactly the way I wanna be coached. My relationship with the coaches has always been second to none. The intensity of practice has always been great. Being on campus and the way that the students feel about being on campus at Boston College has always been perfect. And Boston College gives me the opportunity to play football at the highest level, in the ACC, while also giving me the opportunity to study business at one of the best business schools in the country. So, I’m extremely excited about everything that Boston College has to offer me and go Eags!”
Our Take:
Addazio wasn’t kidding when he said that Stewart may be one of the toughest players he’s seen. The book on Stewart says that he’s an expert tackler who has a penchant for the big hit. He’s great in run support, takes great angles, and has fantastic instincts and closing speed. The biggest compliment throughout his scouting profiles is that he has an excellent football IQ; an especially important trait for safeties who can often take on the role of the quarterback of the defense. The biggest complaint about Stewart, however, is that he lacks prototypical height for the safety position. At just 5’11”, most scouts question whether his height will be an seriously hampering disadvantage, with Scout.com even questioning his ability to cover tight ends one on one; something also key to the position. From our vantage point, though, we don’t see it as a problem. Stewart looks to be similar to a Derrick Kindred (form TCU Frog, current Cleveland Brown), or even more accurately resembling of Karl Joseph, a fellow sub-six footer who was named the most physical player and the biggest hitter by NFL.com back in his days at West Virginia. Joseph is now the starting safety for a vaunted Oakland Raiders defense, so yeah, the ceilings high for Ben Stewart. And just so you don’t think that this is too optimistic of a comparison for young Ben Stewart, we offer Karl Joseph’s recruiting ratings to you. Joseph was rated a 77 overall, 3 star prospect by ESPN (just two points over Stewart) and an 86 overall, 3 star prospect by 247 Sports (just a single point above Stewart). While this is of course hoping for a best case scenario in terms of player development, it’s safe to say that under the right guidance in a program that has been churning out some big time players on the back end of the defense lately, Ben Stewart could be one of the best players to come out of this class. Keep your eyes on this kid, folks!