BOULDER — In making a case for categorizing football recruiting as an inexact science, Colorado freshman tailback Rodney “Speedy” Stewart offers Exhibit A: himself.
Actually, the usually quiet Stewart prefers that others do the talking. After the 5-foot-6, 175-pounder ran for 166 yards last week against West Virginia, his supporters are having a heyday.
Coming from Brookhaven High School in Columbus, Ohio, Stewart was rated by Internet recruiting services as just a two-star prospect. Last Thursday, he treated a national television audience to a five-star performance and left countless recruiters kicking themselves.
They whiffed on a good one.
The cellphone of Anthony Thornton has buzzed all week. Thornton was Brookhaven’s offensive coordinator last year and now is the head coach. Stewart rushed for 2,036 yards and 33 touchdowns as a high school senior and turned everybody’s heads except those of recruiters.
“A lot of people passed on Rodney, and I couldn’t understand it,” Thornton said. “After he had that big game against West Virginia, I’ve been getting a lot of text messages from assistant coaches who recruit this area. They said, ‘Congratulations on Speedy.’ I didn’t do it, but I wanted to text them back, saying, ‘Yeah, you missed on him.’
“One man’s loss is another man’s gain. The University of Colorado got a steal.”
Under the radar
Of the three tailbacks signed by the Buffaloes in February, Stewart was the least heralded. It wasn’t even close. Darrell Scott (6-2, 220) ranked as the nation’s top high school running back, a five-star rated as high as the No. 2 overall prospect for all positions, behind Ohio State-bound quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Another CU signee, Ray Polk (6-1, 200) from Phoenix, was rated as the nation’s 11th-best tailback prospect, a four-star talent. He is redshirting this season.
Stewart? He didn’t seem to be on anybody’s radar — except that of Colorado recruiter Darian Hagan, the Buffs’ running backs coach. Hagan was told about Stewart by another CU recruit from Ohio, linebacker Douglas Rippy, who is redshirting this season. Stewart and Rippy are second cousins.
Scott led CU in rushing in the first two games and may well become the Buffs’ featured back. But Speedy is off to the fastest start.
“I always look at the player, not the recruiting number,” Hagan said. “Some guys might think, ‘That little dude can’t play.’ But I knew Rodney was something special the first time I saw him. When he walked into the room, he had a swagger about him.”
Never mind that Ohio State failed to show any interest in the hometown kid. Neither did Indiana or Minnesota. Until Hagan offered Stewart a scholarship a week before signing day, Stewart wondered if he would have anyplace to go.
Recruiters from Mid-American Conference schools had been in contact. But no scholarships were on the table.
Stewart’s uncle, Marvin Johnson, helped raise Stewart and waited for the phone to ring. It didn’t.
“Before Colorado offered, the best thing we had was an invitation for Rodney to be a ‘preferred walk-on’ at Eastern Michigan,” Johnson said. “I know that’s laughable now. But Rodney has always had to deal with the naysayers.”
Somehow, Stewart remained positive.
“I thought I’d end up somewhere,” he said. “I know I’m a good player. I know I’m a good kid. If I had to, I thought I’d walk on somewhere and make the team that way.
“I didn’t want to hope for anything too great and then get something little. I like to hope for something little and then get something big. That’s the way I live life. I didn’t think God would leave me hanging.”
Injury turned off recruiters
Stewart’s size no doubt caused some recruiters to turn their backs. Another concern was Stewart missing his junior season after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn ACL.
“Talking to some MAC coaches, they wondered about his durability,” said recruiting analyst Jeremy Crabtree of .
Longtime recruiting guru Tom Lemming of . believes the biggest factor in Stewart getting overlooked was an absence of junior highlight film.
“A lot of the top college football programs do not even evaluate senior film anymore; they’re always looking a year or two ahead,” Lemming explained. “That’s why Colorado is going to be a team of the future. They do a great job of evaluating.”
Once Stewart arrived in Boulder, it did not take CU coaches long to realize what they had. His teammates saw it, too.
“The first thing I noticed was his work ethic, with running and lifting weights,” senior center Daniel “Girthy” Sanders said. “Guys like that are the ones you can count on. They’re the ones who succeed.”
Stewart can bench-press 370 pounds.
“I have to admit, I didn’t know he was as physical as he is,” Hagan said. “Even with his size, he runs like he’s about 6-2, 220. He’s a really good football player. He’s just compact.”
Stewart said he does not think about much when he takes a handoff.
“I just do what I’ve been doing since I was little, playing in the backyard,” he said.
As a 5-year-old in peewee football, Rodney scored on a long run the first time he touched the ball. Shortly thereafter, everybody called him “Speedy.”
“Rodney also scored the first two times he got the ball in high school, when he was a freshman,” Johnson recalled. “He gave me a call after his first game in Colorado and said: ‘I tried to score on that first carry, I really did.’ ”
It was a 17-yard sweep against Colorado State. He finished with 38 yards on only four carries.
“I told him not to worry,” Johnson said of that first college carry. “He will have plenty of time.”
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
The Lowdown
By Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
COLORADO (3-0)
Player to watch: QB Cody Hawkins.
After three games, Florida State already has recorded nine quarterback sacks and 27 tackles for loss. And that was without the return of four former defensive starters who are coming off a suspension. Expect the Seminoles to blitz at every opportunity in an effort to rattle Hawkins and a young CU offensive line. Hawkins must be quick with his throws and decision-making.
Key for Buffaloes: Separate.
Against Florida State’s stingy defense, Colorado must find a way to score three or four touchdowns. It’s not easy to gain separation against the Seminoles’ speed. “Honestly, I don’t think we can match their speed. I know I can’t,” CU junior tight end Riar Geer said. In last year’s 16-6 FSU victory at Boulder, the Buffs were held scoreless until a TD with 3:39 left.
FLORIDA STATE (2-1)
Player to watch: QB Christian Ponder.
Things were so easy for the sophomore in the first two career starts, as he tossed six TD passes. But those came in waltzes over Western Carolina and Chattanooga. Last week, Ponder threw three interceptions in a loss to Wake Forest. Ponder can’t afford to look over his shoulder and worry about fellow sophomore D’Vontrey Richardson taking his job.
Key for Seminoles: Finish strong.
It wasn’t pretty after losing for the second straight year to Wake Forest. As has been the case in recent years, FSU must eliminate drive- ending mistakes on offense. In addition to Ponder’s miscues, Richardson threw two interceptions.
