Maryland is having a strong weekend. The Terrapins gained a verbal commitment from in-state outside linebacker Sidney Stewart on Saturday. The Concordia Preparatory School (Towson, Maryland) athlete is rated as a three-star prospect.
Stewart’s commitment comes one day after the Terrapins received verbal pledges from four-star quarterback Malik Washington and three-star defensive back Jayden Shipps. Like Stewart, Washington and Shipps are also Maryland natives, and the group is looking to build something special in College Park.
Stewart has made strong connections with head coach Mike Locksley, defensive coordinator/defensive line coach Brian Williams, special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach James Thomas Jr. (“Coach JT”), offensive line coach Brian Braswell and others on the Maryland staff.
Ultimately, Stewart decided it was best for his future to stay home.
“It’s the crib, that’s the first thing I would say,” Stewart told Rivals about his commitment to Maryland. “I’ve always been a prideful guy. A lot of times, people talk about what states are the top-five or what state is the best at football, and Maryland never even makes it to the top-five (in a lot of people’s minds). I’ve never really understood that because I just feel like we’ve got a bunch of dawgs, but you’ll never see the top Maryland guys really go to Maryland like that. But it’s starting to change. I know my guys just committed (to Maryland on Friday) — Malik Washington and Jayden Shipps.
“We’re just building a squad. Obviously, we got (running back) Iverson Howard, who committed not too long ago. It’s a bunch of guys that I’m cool with, familiar with. We talk — it’s a network. It just makes the most sense to me to play for where you’re from and then whatever school wins is where it’s at.”
Stewart has the longest relationship with Braswell. Although Braswell will not be his position coach and they are on opposite sides of the ball, the offensive line coach is Stewart’s area recruiter and built a strong bond early on that has continued.
Additionally, Stewart has grown close with Thomas and Locksley. Thomas will be Stewart’s position coach once he arrives in College Park. Stewart admires the personalities that the coaches have.
“Coach Braswell has always been hilarious,” Stewart said. “(Braswell) recruits my area, so that’s who I met first and who I talk to a lot, along with my position coach, Coach JT. They’re both hilarious. They’ve both got different accents. They’re just funny. It’s just great being around different people from different areas, but they still want to help us grow.
“Then Coach Locksley, he’s a great coach. He’s one of the few Black head coaches, so he understands a lot of the things we go through and a lot of things we think. And then even separate from that, he understands football. He knows ball, he know what he’s talking about. He’s a great guy to be around. All the coaches love him and all the players do, too.”
Being able to play for his home-state program is an opportunity Stewart is grateful for, and one that he is not taking lightly.
“It means a lot because if I do it right, if I do what I’m supposed to do while I’m up there, I can be known by the whole state,” Stewart said about playing for Maryland. “It would be a great feeling to put on for the state and just help us win. Maryland isn’t really known as a football school, but why can’t it be? I feel like we have a lot of great individuals from here, and if we mesh them together, it’s going to be a great team.”
Stewart recently took his official visit to Maryland during the weekend of June 21 through June 23. His favorite part of the trip was connecting with the other visitors by playing basketball and competing with each other.
In addition to Maryland, Stewart took official visits to West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Indiana.
The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Stewart is currently listed as a strong-side defensive end by Rivals, but is being primarily recruited to Maryland as an outside linebacker. However, Stewart notes that there could be instances where he lines up as a traditional hand-in-the-dirt defensive end at the college level as well. His plan is to shed some weight and work on getting stronger.
As an outside linebacker/defensive end for the Terrapins, he’ll be tasked with doing it all — rushing the passer, stopping the run, setting the edge and being sound in pass coverage when needed. While he will have to put in a lot of work to reach their level, others have compared Stewart’s game to the some of the top defenders in the NFL.
“I’ve gotten a lot of comparisons,” Stewart said about his game. “Some people have said Khalil Mack (of the Los Angeles Chargers). He’s a little bit taller than me, I think about an inch taller than me. Some people have said Micah Parsons (of the Dallas Cowboys). I love T.J. Watt (of the Pittsburgh Steelers), though, so I would love to say I’m like T.J. Watt. That’s my favorite player. I also like Nick Bosa (of the San Francisco 49ers), but the two I’ve gotten compared to most are Micah Parsons and Khalil Mack.”
With Stewart’s pledge, the Terrapins are now up to 16 total commitments in the 2025 cycle. Maryland’s class currently ranks in the top-35 nationally.
