Aggies' Shemart Stewart Ready For Homecoming Game Against Miami
COLLEGE STATION -- Shemar Stewart grew up in South Beach, Fla., at a time when Miami football wasn't the talk of the town. For most kids, playing for the hometown team is a dream.
For Stewart's parents, it wasn't an option while going through the recruiting process.
“[They] didn’t want me to stay home at all,” Stewart said Monday during his first media session. “It’s Miami, you know? The nightlife can get pretty distracting. I try to keep my head on straight.”
While the night scene in College Station is "good," Stewart's light has been enflamed entering his sophomore season with Texas A&M. The former five-star has stood out as one of the Aggies' biggest enforcers in the trenches, and could be a staple on the defensive front for the program entering what hopes to be a breakout season.
Players always have games circled on their calendars for motivation. For Stewart playing in front of the hometown crowd for the first time since he pushed Miami to the side, he knows what this matchup means for fans entering Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.
“I know they want to get their revenge on us after last year,” said Stewart about the Hurricanes losing to the Aggies, 17-9. “But it ain’t gonna happen this year. Maybe some other time, but not this time.”
Both the No. 23 Aggies (1-0) and Hurricanes (1-0) had less-than-ideal situations handed their way in 2022. When Week 3 rolled around at Kyle Field last fall, the duo were ranked in the top 25. They each finished the year bowl ineligible at 5-7 apiece.
Changes were made in the offseason to both schools, primarily on offense. The Hurricanes fired coordinator Josh Gattis and brought over Shannon Dawson from Houston. The Aggies gave full offensive power to former Arkansas and Lousiville coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino unloaded through the air in Saturday's 52-10 win against New Mexico, totaling six passing touchdowns between Conner Weigman and Max Johnson. Dawson, who helped Houston finish top-20 in scoring, trusted the ground game against Miami (Ohio), totaling 250 rushing yards and three TDs.
"They have very good backs," said A&M coach Jimbo Fisher Monday. "They're really big up front. It's going to be a physical game inside. We have to win those battles and we have to get them on the ground."
The Aggies will be presented with their first challenge in defense in a new season after failing to stop the run a season ago. The run defense was a blemish for a unit that still maintained one of the better secondaries in college football, ranking 123rd nationally in getting rid of the ground game.
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Stewart hopes to be a part of the positives in fixing the run defense. Fisher hopes so, too, especially after seeing his potential with a five-tackle performance a season ago against Miami at home.
“He can rush, he can play the run, he can play the pass, he can overpower you and he can out-speed you,” Fisher said of Stewart. “He’s just a tremendous athlete, and on top of that he’s a better person than he is a player.”
Hard Rock Stadium will be as close to a home game as possible for Stewart. Monsignor Pace High School is roughly four miles from the place both the Dolphins and Hurricanes call home, so it was easy for the 6-6, 285-pound defensive lineman to consider the school an option.
It's also what made Stewart public enemy No. 1 when he decided to commit to A&M over Miami during National Signing Day in 2022, a move that did not go over well with the community then.
“Being a highly rated player out of Miami, everybody expects you to stay and play for the home team,” Stewart said. “When I committed here, basically the whole city was mad at me. They basically shunned me for a while."
Stewart doesn't need motivation to show out for A&M on Saturday in front of his family and peers, but knowing how things unfolded during the recruiting process adds more fuel to the fire. He stays in contact with several buddies he grew up playing with who committed to "The U."
"Come Saturday, we’re not friends anymore," said Stewart with a laugh.
