Former Houston star turns in stunning performance in first NFL start: 'Like nothing I've ever seen'
The NFL has always been a next-man-up league.
Former Houston Cougars star Grant Stuard is the latest example - and he was more than ready for his opportunity.
A special teams player and backup linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, Stuard had his number called on Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts - and he responded with 19 tackles, the most tackles in a game in the NFL this season. His efforts helped the Colts beat the Miami Dolphins 16-10.
Coming into the game Stuard had not registered a tackle on the season - and he only had 33 in his NFL career. With Colts' starting SAM linebacker EJ Sneed out with a knee injury, Stuard was tapped to fill his spot. Then linebacker Jaylon Carlies went down with an injury and Stuard's role expanded. He ended up playing 64 of the Colts' 69 defensive snaps.
And his effort was relentless.
“He can be an example for the entire NFL," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said after the game. “I’ll tell you what, the guy is relentless. The way he goes about his business, the way he practices, is like nothing I’ve ever seen. Everything is 100 miles per hour and he finishes on every drill.”
"He's a guy that comes in every day and works his tail off. And he got his opportunity and made the most of it."
Stuard is a key special teams player for the Colts, and he maintained those duties on Sunday. He registered an additional 23 snaps on special teams. Eighteen of his tackles came on defense, and one came on special teams. Eleven of his tackles were solo.
“There’s no secret to success when you work as hard as a guy like he does, it’s going to come to fruition at some point,” said Steichen. “And so you get your opportunity to go in and go make plays and that’s what he did. He was flying around the field all day. He was the player of the game for us on defense.”
Stuard played four seasons at Houston and registered 115 tackles and 18 tackles for loss. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (pick No. 259). He played one season in Tampa Bay before signing with Indianapolis before the 2022 season.
With his performance on Sunday, it's a safe bet Stuard will get more opportunities at linebacker this season.
"I always kind of figure out that if I'm flying around, making plays, exerting energy, it gives me more energy," Stuard said after his big game. "Just pedal to the metal every play is how I do it."
There’s making an impact and there’s what Grant Stuard just did. 💥
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 22, 2024
📺 #INDvsHOU | 10/27 on CBS pic.twitter.com/xbtTkgxcOU
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.