Film Room: Andre Stewart

The metro Atlanta area is littered with talented football prospects and Kentucky has been able to get some of those players in the past. However, it has not been consistent.

Anwar Stewart just dipped into the are to pull off a surprising recruiting victory that could play some major dividends.

Andre Stewart is a high three-star corner who ranks just outside of the top-400 with a very strong offer sheet. The defensive back had recent offers from Michigan State, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Oregon, South Carolina, and Tennessee. He was an Auburn de-commit back in January.

It appears that Bryan Harsin still wanted the corner on the Plains. Score a big one for Mark Stoops and his staff.

It’s now time to step into the KSR Film Room and show you just what Kentucky is getting in Stewart. This is a ball tracking corner with some intriguing tackling ability to go along with excellent athleticism. Steve Clinkscale is getting a really good player to join his position room.

When you evaluate college prospects it gives you a chance to watch a ton of highlight tapes. These clips usually last around five or six minutes and essentially should be the best plays from an individual player. Usually, the first clip or two will tell you a lot.

Stewart does not disappoint.

Tackling is a very important skill for a corner to have coming out of high school and it is now a paramount trait to have. You must defend against spread attacks and RPO schemes at the next level. Your corners have to be able to get ballcarriers down in space and Stewart is not afraid to stick his nose into the action.

The main checkpoint you want a corner prospect to hit is the ability to find the ball. Ball tracking is a very important attribute to this position and you will need to have the requisite ball skills to make big plays happen. Stewart shows it all in the clip below.

He gets some nice depth in his drop and then makes a smooth hip rotation to shift into the catch position. Stewart beats the wide receiver to the spot and makes a toe drag on the sideline to end the play with a takeaway. Beautiful football.

Do you want some speed? It’s a necessity to play corner and you have to be able to cover a ton of ground in a hurry. Man, can Stewart get rolling when he turns on the jets.

The offense leaks out their tight end in an obvious run formation and catches the defense totally off guard. The safety bites on the potential run action leaving no one between the receiver and the endzone. Stewart recognizes and takes off. It’s a chunk play for the offense, but a nice damage control recovery for the defense. The clip shows some of the explosive burst that this prospect has as a runner.

YAHTZEE!! 🎲🎲🔵⚪️🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Lbd9ORdwxa

— Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) March 13, 2021

Mood in Lexington right now!! It just keeps getting better… #BBN pic.twitter.com/eb3bnwYyfE

— Brad White (@CoachWhiteFB) March 13, 2021

You need a corner to have speed, ball skills, and to be able to tackle in space. Stewart checks all of those boxes. There was a specific reason we saw tweets from head coach Marks Stoops and defensive coordinator Brad White last night. This was a major recruiting win.

Stewart is effortless in his drops, shows twitched-up acceleration, and can find the football when it is in the air. At 6-foot and 169 pounds, he’s probably too small to be a boundary corner facing physical X receivers every Saturday. However, it is easy to project him to play in other spots. At the field corner, he’s got the ability to play in space and can cover a ton of ground with his backpedal and quick hip rotations. He has the instincts, tackling ability to be a factor at nickel. He could even play deep safety as the last line of defense.

Stewart has a very good tape and I highly suggest checking it out. This is a big-time player who could easily see snaps as a true freshman. More importantly, Anwar Stewart has gotten back into Atlanta and scored another commitment after landing receiver Devonte Ross in the class of 2021. If he can help UK get a pipeline rolling from one of the most fertile football cities in America it would be a very big deal.

This recruitment will likely have some twists and turns. I can guarantee that SEC programs will not stop recruiting this young man. However, Kentucky is swimming in the right waters and the early returns in 2022 tell us this could be an epic secondary haul for the Wildcats.