TCU beats out Texas Tech, Louisville for Keeyon Stewart
THE SITUATION
One-time Texas Tech commitment Keeyon Stewart made a decision on the eve of National Signing Day; he’s TCU-bound.
The Houston area defensive back out of state champion North Shore (Texas) High School committed to the Horned Frogs over the aforementioned Red Raiders and Louisville. He visited Texas Tech on the first weekend of February and Louisville the weekend before.
WHY IT IS BIG FOR TCU
TCU is replenishing its secondary with a 6-foot cornerback with 4.41 speed. Stewart has a 36-inch vertical jump. More importantly, he is physical in the run game and has a nose for the football. Stewart is aggressive and can play all over the secondary, whether it’s at cornerback or safety. He thrives in one-on-one coverage but plays with a safety mentality.
Equally as significant, the Horned Frogs kept Stewart in-state over a conference rival. His speed should translate nicely to the Big 12.
TCU will welcome back several upperclassmen to its secondary for 2019, which will give Stewart some added time to grow comfortable with the Big 12 speed and opposing offenses. Eventually, he is a candidate to succeed Niko Small at free safety or compete with the fellow defensive backs in the Frogs’ 2019 class out wide at cornerback.
WHY IT HURTS TEXAS TECH, LOUISVILLE
Texas Tech was unable to bring Stewart back into the fold following his December 1 decommitment in the aftermath of Kliff Kingsbury’s firing. It’s another blip on the radar for the Red Raiders, who lost out on 4-star Texas defensive end Steven Parker on Monday. More significant is the whiff on a versatile defensive back after the team only signed Alex Hogan -- who also hails from the Houston area -- during the Early Signing Period.
Louisville also was optimistic it could pluck Stewart out of the Lone Star State. The staff stopped by North Shore several times in recent weeks while on the road and Stewart had family ties to the Kentucky area on his mother’s site. The Cardinals were chasing defensive backs to finish off their 2019 haul and just missed on one of their top remaining targets.