Michigan a finalist for former Coastal Carolina EDGE Josaiah Stewart
Michigan Wolverines football has one commit out of the NCAA transfer portal in former Arizona State offensive lineman LaDarius Henderson and is looking to add more talent. The Wolverines quickly offered former Coastal Carolina EDGE Josaiah Stewart after he entered the portal Dec. 6, and now the Maize and Blue have landed in the top three schools list he unveiled Monday (Dec. 12). LSU and USC also made the cut.
Stewart has two years of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons with Coastal Carolina.
The 6-2, 230-pounder is coming off an outstanding season for the Chanticleers. He was tied for his team’s lead with 10 tackles for loss, adding 41 total stops, 3.5 sacks, 5 quarterback hurries and 1 blocked kick. He was named second-team All-Sun Belt after being recognized as the league’s preseason player of the year.
He generated 40 pressures on the year, leading Coastal Carolina and ranking tied for 30th nationally among edge rushers. Despite being undersized for the position, Stewart played 514 of his 529 defensive snaps at the edge rusher spot in 2022.
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Stewart was even more productive as a freshman in 2021, leading the Sun Belt with 12.5 sacks. That ranked fifth nationally. He added 43 tackles, including 15.5 behind the line of scrimmage, with 3 forced fumbles. He led his squad with 41 pressures.
WATCH: Josaiah Stewart 2021 freshman season highlights
He was named a true freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America and ESPN.com, while also being selected as a Phil Steele All-American honorable mention. He landed on the All-Sun Belt first team and earned the league’s newcomer of the year honor.
Prior to arriving at Coastal Carolina, Stewart was a three-star prospect and the No. 935 overall player in the 2021 recruiting class, according to the On3 Consensus recruiting rankings. He was ranked as the No. 90 edge defender in the class and the No. 4 player in the state of Massachusetts, hailing from Everett (Mass.) High, the same school that produced Michigan senior defensive back Mike Sainristil.
Michigan will likely lose its sack leader, senior EDGE Mike Morris (7.5), to the NFL after this season. Another significant contributor, graduate Taylor Upshaw, may move on after his fifth season.
The Wolverines are in the College Football Playoff, ranked No. 2 and set to take on third-ranked TCU in the Fiesta Bowl Dec. 31. They won the Big Ten for the second straight season.
