Big Ten Daily: 5-Star DT Shemar Stewart Includes Ohio State in List of Top-5 Programs

Five-star prospect Shemar Stewart included Ohio State in his top-five schools, Maryland football hires Mike Canales as an analyst and Stephen Carr's impressive fall camp for Indiana helps fill a team need. Here's the latest from around the Big Ten.

Author:
D.J. Fezler
Publish date:
Aug 27, 2021 11:52 AM EDT

Shemar Stewart, a 2022 five-star defensive tackle from Monsignor Pace High School in Opa Locka, Florida, announced his top-five programs Thursday night. He is considering Big Ten powerhouse Ohio State alongside Texas A&M, Miami, Georgia and Clemson.

Stewart is a 6-foot-5, 260-pound prospect and is ranked as the No. 8 recruit in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He is rated as the third-best recruit at his position and the top prospect in his home state of Florida.

Before narrowing his list to five schools, Stewart held offers from 33 different programs. He has not yet taken an official visit but is scheduled to visit Texas A&M on Friday, Oct. 8.

As of now, Stewart has not announced when he will make his decision.

Maryland Hires Former SEC Assistant Mike Canales

With less than two weeks before the start of the 2021 college football season for Maryland football, coach Mike Locksley made an addition to the team's coaching staff.

The Terrapins brought in former UTEP offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Mike Canales to serve as an analyst. He has also spent time as the offensive coordinator at North Texas, USF and Arizona.

Canales confirmed the hire by updating his Twitter biography. He has experience as a head coach during interim stints in 2010 and 2015 with North Texas. In those two seasons, Canales posted a record of 3-9.

Maryland is coming off a 2-3 season in 2020, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Terrapins haven't posted a winning record since 2014.

Maryland opens the season on Saturday, Sept. 4 against West Virginia. The game starts at 3:30 p.m. ET. As of Friday morning, Maryland is a 3.5-point underdog according to sports gambling website Fanduel.com. The over/under is 55.5 points.

Stephen Carr's Impressive Fall Camp Fills a Need for Indiana

Stephen Carr spent four seasons at USC before deciding to transfer to Indiana for the 2021 college football season. He took advantage of the extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic to come to the program.

New Hoosiers running backs coach Deland McCullough was Carr's coach at USC during his freshman year. McCullough, who coached at Indiana before his move to USC, spent the past three years with the Kansas City Chiefs but decided to return to Bloomington this winter.

And when Carr entered the transfer portal, he got a push to consider reuniting with McCullough. A strong relationship still existed — and Carr and his mother also thought it might be good for him to move away and play elsewhere.

"It was a no brainer. I think it was just God’s timing,'' Carr told reporters Thursday. "By the time I entered the portal, I found out he was coaching here. Having a good relationship with Coach McCullough has meant a lot. He has taught me more about that game than I’ve learned from any other coach.

"It's been amazing reuniting with Coach McCullough because we have a lot of history. He is still holding me to that high standard like he did when we first met.''

Carr has impressed coaches and teammates during Indiana's fall camp, and he fills a need left at the running back position after Stevie Scott III made his way to the NFL and Sampson James transferred to Purdue.

As of now, Carr leads a unit that also includes sophomore Tim Baldwin Jr.

"I love all the talent that's here,'' he said. "It is crazy seeing both sides, the Pac-12 and now the Big Ten. I love being in this position because it gives another perspective on college football.

"These guys here are bigger and that helps me put some more tools in my toolbox if I want to get to the next level. The talent at Indiana is amazing and I think we are going to win a lot of games this season. We are eying that Big Ten Championship, so we have to stay focused and keep preparing like we have been. All the pressure is the same. We all got the same goal in college football and it is to get to the league."

For more from out Sports Illustrated Indiana site, HoosiersNow, simply CLICK HERE.

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