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WATCH: Five-star WR, Texas target Evan Stewart runs through defense with ease

Not many prospects are better than five-star Evan Stewart. On Friday, he showed off why the top programs in the country are after him.

Not many prospects are better than five-star Evan Stewart. The wide receiver is one of Texas’ main targets in the 2022 class, possibly even being the biggest need remaining on the board.

After earning five-star status before the season began, Stewart has backed it up with his play on the field. No receiver in the state is a bigger threat to take one to the house than the Frisco Liberty star.

On Friday, he showed off why the top programs in the country are after him.

Stewart motioned over from the left side of the formation and took a handoff from Liberty’s quarterback, Keldric Luster. After making a Memorial tackler miss on the first contact, another one attempts to tackle Stewart.

Instead, he spins out of it, breaks free down the sideline, jukes another defender, and scores a touchdown.

You can watch the full clip here.

Frisco Liberty using Stewart’s talent with jet sweeps is nothing new. The five-star ran multiple when Longhorns Wire saw him play in person at the beginning of the high school season. The same abilities but better were shown in this clip.

On the 247Sports composite, Stewart is the No. 3 overall player. He ranks as the top wide receiver in the country and player from the Lone Star state.

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Rockwall QB Braedyn Locke shines in huge win over Lake Travis, focusing on Highland Park

Braeyden Locke showed out on Friday night, dominating Lake Travis’ defense all night. He finished with 506 passing yards and five TDs.

The buzz around Wilkerson-Sanders Memorial Stadium was palpable with Lake Travis coming to town. Rockwall was fresh off a 75 point performance against Jesuit and was looking to upset the No. 6 team in 6A per Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

Just looking out onto the field, you would think Rockwall was at a disadvantage from a size perspective alone. Lake Travis was bigger on both sides of the line of scrimmage, even towering over at times.

Well, the game is not played on paper and none of it mattered. From the get-go, you could tell Rockwall was ready to play. Especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Pace was the name of the game for the Yellow Jackets, using their speed at an efficient rate. Running an RPO offense, a bunch of quarterback Braeydn Locke’s passes were out within the first three seconds of the ball being snapped.

Rockwall took advantage of the sugar huddle as well, getting lined up and taking off before you could read the personnel they were in. The Austin high school had no answer for the fast-tempo offense.

Locke proved to be the star of the show, dominating in the passing game all night. The three-star prospect finished with 506 yards and five touchdowns on 30 of 43 passing.

At halftime, Rockwall led 31-21 after punting just once and throwing an interception. Then came 28 unanswered points in the second half were scored, all in the blink of an eye. Three of Locke’s five touchdowns came after the break.

Getting a win over a program such as Lake Travis can help push Rockwall toward its end-of-season goals. Locke insists learning from the previous season’s mistakes come first, though.

“I think [the win] will motivate us going forward,” said Locke. “Really just because last year we were in a similar situation, started out 3-0, beat a really good Southlake team, and then dropped the ball against Highland Park.”

Highland Park came to town last season and beat up on Rockwall pretty well. The final score was 46-18 in favor of the Scots and Rockwall barely saw 300 total yards.

Locke knows he and his team will be dialed in on the road next week at Highlander Stadium.

“Personally, for me, I know I am more motivated than ever to not let that happen again. I think the guys will too.”

Sticking to the game plan will be the goal. In Locke’s opinion no defense is going to be able to keep up with the Yellow Jackets. Focusing on playing their own game will yield positive results.

“We just gotta have really good attention to detail,” Locke said. “We gotta get out there, gotta play fast. A lot of people talk about it but until you really go against us, you don’t know how fast we go. Having a lot of attention to detail and being ready to go will really help us next week.”

Locke is currently committed to play for Mike Leach at Mississippi State beginning next season. Something Texas fans to keep an eye out for during the program’s transition to the SEC.

Thoughts on Texas target, five-star WR Evan Stewart’s performance on Friday against Greenville

Evan Stewart had another monster day on the stat sheet on Friday vs Greenville. He finished with 11 catches for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Frisco Liberty opened up the season with a nailbiter against Frisco Reedy in Week 1. A two-point conversion in the final seconds of the game won it for the Redhawks.

No late-game heroics were required tonight.

Playing at Toyota Stadium, Liberty pulled away from Greenville with ease in the second half to win 55-21. Four second half touchdowns, one of which was from five-star wide receiver Evan Stewart, ended up being the difference.

For Stewart, the new No. 3 player in the country per the 247Sports composite had another monster day on the stat sheet. He finished with 11 receptions for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Most throws came from within 10 yards, letting Stewart get outside to use his speed. Greenville’s defensive backs were playing off him plus a safety over him the entire game, calling for a few comeback routes.

One of Stewart’s best plays came early in the third quarter where he almost blew by three defenders but a last-ditch tackle tripped him up.

Early apologies for the crummy camera work. Thanks to Frisco ISD’s sidelines policies, plus my outdated phone, it was tough to get a quality shot.

In another comeback route, Stewart did a good job of tracking back to the ball and getting both feet in bounds to get another first down.

Liberty called a couple of jet sweeps for the five-star as well. Both resulted in solid chunk plays for the Redhawks. Instead of fully trying to get outside, Stewart hit the first hole he found both times and made his way upfield.

Something I was excited to see was Stewart’s jump-ball ability, especially in the red zone. Greenville’s defense made it priority No. 1 that I would not see such a thing. Wherever the five-star lined up inside of the 20, the cornerback would play press with another defensive back lined up right behind him.

Greenville had a difficult time bringing Stewart down with just one defender. The first guy would try to wrap up and quickly get bounced. Three to four guys would have to swarm and push Stewart out of bounds before the play was blown dead.

It was easy to see how he would transition and fit into Sarkisian’s system. Moving around across formations could create matchup problems, especially once in the slot. No linebacker, even within the SEC, is going to keep up.

Texas remains in the thick of it for the No. 1 in-state prospect. Stewart has already taken his official visit, coming to Austin in June. He has not set a time for an unofficial in the fall yet.

Seeing how Sarkisian’s offense performs throughout the season could be a major factor. Put up gaudy numbers with the receivers, plus make the move to the SEC next season, and your chances to land Stewart skyrocket.

Four-star 2024 DB Jaydan Hardy keeping options open early in recruiting process

Lewisville’s season opened up with a 50-7 win over Arlington Bowie. LonghornsWire was able to catch up with four-star safety Jaydon Hardy after.

Lewisville’s season opened up with a dominating 50-7 win over Arlington Bowie. Division I talent played on both sides of the ball but sophomore Jaydan Hardy could have been the best.

Playing safety and wide receiver for the Farmers, Hardy finished the night with one reception for seven yards. He broke passes up when Bowie attempted to push the ball downfield, while also returned punts.

Getting a win to start the year was important to Hardy. Lewisville has high expectations for the season and going 1-0 was just the beginning.

“It felt great (to win). Just coming out here and showing people the talent we have.”

For personal goals, Hardy just wants to contribute to the team any way he possibly can. Whether it is at wide receiver or safety, being versatile and becoming a team leader is the priority of the four-star 2024 prospect.

As for Lewisville, the 2020 season ended with a second-round loss to Arlington Martin. Hardy and his teammates have different expectations this season. Not only making it to AT&T Stadium is the goal but lifting hardware is the only acceptable option.

“The goal for the team is state,” said Hardy. “We are not going to settle for less.”

After picking up his first Divison I offer back in mid-January, 10 other offers came throughout May and June. Big-time programs such as Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas, and Texas A&M have reached out.

Hardy went to three camps over the summer in College Station, Oxford, and Tuscaloosa. It’s only a few months into his recruitment, but the four-star has been enjoying everything so far.

“It was amazing going out and seeing colleges and being able to just experience it all and getting into the recruiting process. I love it, it’s amazing.”

Despite also playing on offense, Hardy is going to be recruited as a defensive back. The District 6-6A Defensive Newcomer of the Year had 61 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman.

For Texas, Blake Gideon has been the point of contact. Hardy has “talked to” and stayed in close contact” with the safety coach after receiving the offer back on June 2.

Being so early in the recruitment, Hardy is not rushing into anything. Just a sophomore, there is plenty of time to go through the process. For now, getting results on the field is the main focus.

“I am keeping my options open, just coming out here and playing football.”

On the 247Sports composite, Hardy is the No. 37 overall prospect in the 2024 class. He ranks at No. 4 among sophomore safeties and No. 6 within the Lone Star State.

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