This weekend Noles247 made a trip over to Pedro Menendez High School in St. Augustine to see one of the most explosive players in the state, linebacker Tony Steward. Although he was injured (bruised shin and sprained ankle), Steward was still able to show flashes of why he’s ranked the 7th best overall prospect in Florida by 247sports.
Steward, who is 6-foot-2 and 225-pounds, played mostly on the offensive side of the ball because their opponent, Ponte Vedre, was a spread passing team. On offense Steward broke a long touchdown run of 48 yards and for much of the game was tough to bring down. The ankle and shin injury clearly negated much of his ability to cut and run.
On the recruiting front, Steward has offers from everyone in the country, but he’s narrowed his focus down to five schools, Florida State, Clemson, Florida, Alabama and UCLA. He’s set official visits to all five.
Growing up, Steward was a FSU fan and admits, seeing anyone besides Bobby Bowden on the sidelines took some time to get used to.
“It’s a little bit of a different feeling. Jimbo is doing a really good job getting the program in the right direction. He’s bringing back the old Florida State.”
Steward attended the Samford game and watched the Noles take a lickin’ in Oklahoma, but says he now sees the team that coach Fisher told him about before the season.
“The defense is playing real good right now, everyone seems to be pulling together and playing as one. Coach Stoops has those guys playing hard.”
Steward didn’t have a chance to watch the Miami game and for good reason, he was out fishing.
“When I heard the score it blew my mind! I thought it would be a real close game cause it always is. They played a good team and won big.”
Next month Steward will be taking an unofficial visit to Tallahassee for the FSU/Clemson game.
“Those are two of my top teams. I’m going to watch the linebackers and see which defense plays tougher.”
Don’t expect Steward to make a decision anytime soon. His first official visit isn’t until December and his final visit is at the end of January.
- Josh Newberg
- Florida State Insider - Noles247