How Logan Stewart went from walk-on to starter

 

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — “It shows everybody that hard work beats talent.” 

Logan Stewart grew up dreaming of playing for the Colorado State Rams, but coming out of high school, the former Mountain View starter wasn’t even on Mike Bobo’s radar. 

Instead of giving up on playing for the team he’s followed his entire life, Stewart went to Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona, where he recorded seven total tackles in limited action in 2016. With no four-year scholarship offers, Stewart went across the country to Iowa Central C.C., where he averaged six tackles per game in 2017. In total, Stewart amassed 66 total tackles and six pass-breakups in his second season of JUCO football. 

Following a successful season in Iowa, Stewart returned home to walk on with the Rams. Despite not being on scholarship at the time, Stewart’s persistent work ethic with the scout team last season didn’t go unnoticed. In fact, Bobo told a story about how during a 2018 practice, he became particularly smitten with the local kid and actually told Stewart how he was really happy to have him on the team.

“Whatever position you start at, you can always change the result with hard work,” Stewart recently told BSN Rams.  “Whether you’re a walk-on, a starter, a five-star player—you’ve gotta work to earn it.”

The life of a walk-on can be challenging. Often the guys assigned to simulate opposing team’s sets or take beatings on special teams drills, non-scholarship players are handed nothing. If they work out, it’s a win for the program but if they fizzle out, ‘no harm, no foul’. 

Even though they rarely receive the same level of respect or admiration as the highly-touted recruits, walk-ons are pretty important for a program like Colorado State. 

Obviously, they provide depth—in a morbid sense, they’re bodies to feed the machine—it takes much more than 22 people for a successful football season. But over the last couple of seasons, multiple former walk-ons have developed into key contributors for the team. Currently projected as one of CSU’s starting safeties, Stewart is one of those guys. 

In the spring of 2019, Stewart worked his way into a starting role at safety and was then rewarded with a scholarship this past offseason. Now two weeks away from the regular season, Stewart continues to impress. 

In both of CSU’s scrimmages so far, Stewart has recorded an interception. And seemingly every time Bobo addresses the state of the defense, Stewart is one of the people that tends to receive high praise. 

“He’s been very, very consistent at safety,” Bobo said after the team’s most recent scrimmage. “He understands what we’re doing in the system and he plays hard. He plays extremely hard.”

Bobo explained how despite only being about 80 percent healthy, Stewart was determined to suit up Friday night. Obviously, it worked out as Stewart was able to force a turnover for a second straight week. 

“He’s a guy that’s always around the football, he’s a guy that everyone wants on the special team. He’s doing a good job,” Bobo said. 

Stewart’s path to becoming a starter in the secondary has impressed more than just the coaching staff—the players have picked up on his efforts as well.

“It shows that everybody has the same opportunity,” Rashad Ajayi told BSN Rams. 

The sophomore cornerback had more offers than he can count on both hands, but according to the up-and-coming leader of Colorado State’s defense, it doesn’t matter if you’re on scholarship or a walk-on and Stewart is proof of that. 

“We all want to be great—we all want to be a starter—so it doesn’t matter where you come from,” Ajayi said. 

After going through so much to get to this point in his career, one might assume that Stewart is simply happy to be here. Quite the opposite is true, though. Stewart wants to help transform the Rams’ defensive identity and lead CSU back to the postseason. 

“Conference championship and definitely (making) a bowl game is something that we’re shooting for,” Stewart said. 

“But first, we’ve got some goals before then. We want to beat CU, Air Force and Wyoming. They’re all on our list, as well as a Mountain West championship.”

At 6-foot-1, 214 pounds, Stewart put on roughly 20 pounds with the team’s strength program in the offseason. According to Stewart, it’s allowing him to play both more physically and confidently, but the muscular DB knows the journey is only beginning. Stewart is pleased with the progress he’s made individually and is proud of his teammates for the way they’ve responded from last season. However, Stewart says in order to accomplish their ultimate goals, consistency will be key. 

“That’s the biggest thing with good defenses—day in and day out, they’re consistent,” Stewart said. 

With the season opener just around the corner, Ram fans will soon enough have an opportunity to see just how consistent CSU ends up being. Optimism has been a consistent theme for CSU in fall camp, but the real answers will be revealed in the coming months.