Four-star running back Rickey Stewart has committed to Texas, his dream school. The Longhorns have officially secured the services of one of their two target running backs for the 2025 recruiting class: Tashard Choice.
According to OnTexasFootball, Tyler Chapel Hill running back Rickey Stewart’s pledge to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday is an early benefit of the Longhorn City Limits recruiting weekend.
Stewart is one of several well-known guests to the Forty Acres to tour the school and see the Longhorns’ first spring practice, the scrimmage, on Saturday. Stewart made his choice at the line of scrimmage.
How does being a Longhorn make you feel?
“It feels amazing, unique,” Stewart said to OnTexasFootball. It’s a unique location—really, my ideal school, the one I’ve always aspired to attend. Simply thrilled.
When the 5’10, 180-pound player was committed to SMU in January, he received an offer from Texas and position coach Tashard Choice at the Junior Day. Less than two weeks later, Stewart reopened his recruiting by quitting the Mustangs, which at the time seemed like a bold move.
More than two years ago, after Stewart ran for almost 1,000 yards as a freshman at Chapel Hill during a run to the Class 4A-I state championships, SMU became the second school to offer him, behind Texas Tech. Stewart committed to the Mustangs last summer. Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, TCU, and Tennessee are among the other universities that have sent offers.
Stewart has improved over the last two seasons, rushing for 2,262 yards and 18 touchdowns on 243 runs in 2022 and 2,855 yards and 40 touchdowns on 271 carries in 2023, building on his stellar rookie campaign. Stewart has played three seasons of high school football and has six receiving touchdowns in total.
Daniel Seahorn’s analysis:
Before entering his senior year, Stewart had already recorded two consecutive 2000-yard rushing seasons, demonstrating his exceptional productivity as a rusher. In 2023, Stewart shattered the 2,800-yard barrier on the ground and hit the end zone an incredible 40 (!!!) times. The fact that he accomplished it in under 300 carries (271) at a strong 10.5 yards per rush only serves to highlight how amazing it is. In 2024, can he aim for 3,000? His season total of 3,139 all-purpose yards came from 18 receptions for 284 yards. Not too bad. Although Stewart appears to be an upright runner on film, over the previous two years, his excellent quickness, burst, and straight-line speed have allowed him to completely overwhelm East Texas defenders. Since Stewart frequently uses broad run lanes to reach to the second and third levels before encountering opposition, Chapel Hill has a well-thought-out and well-blocked system (S/O to the coaches and his offensive line). When he does run into opposition, he shows good lateral agility and elusiveness that make him difficult to stop in both tight spaces and the open field. Stewart has enough long speed to stop lengthy runs and negate defensive players’ angles. Although he does have some plays on tape where he will run past arm tackles and has some excellent, difficult runs along the inside, I would like to see more of him rushing in between the tackles since there is where he will have to butter his bread as he moves to the NCAA level. In the future, I’ll also be keeping an eye on him to see if he continues to run upright. Running that way exposes you to hits, which can result in fumbles and injuries unless you are an alien like Adrian Peterson or Eric Dickerson from back in the day, or you are exceptionally skilled at dodging hits. All things considered, though, I think Stewart fits well in this class, where Texas will probably choose two backs. You have established a good floor for yourself at this position if he is your RB2 in this class; let Tashard Choice aim high for the other spot.
Stewart, a four-star prospect by most accounts, is rated as the No. 22 running back and the No. 247 player in the country by the 247Sports Composite rankings. Stewart is the sixth commitment for the Longhorns in a class that is now ranked No. 19 in the country, following the loss of linebacker Deuce Williams of Pearland Shadow Creek on Thursday.
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