UCLA Football Early Signing Day Breakdown: S Croix Stewart
As the national letters of intent come rolling in, All Bruins is going to be taking an in-depth look at every recruit who signs with UCLA in real time. Next up, safety Croix Stewart.
Croix Stewart, Safety
Hometown: Benicia, California
High School: Benicia
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 187 pounds
2021 Stats: 13 GP, 67 TKL, 2 INT, 5 PD, 11.0 TFL, 2.0 SCK, 7 QBH, 1 FF, 18 receptions, 276 receiving yards, 5 receiving TD, 8 carries, 53 rushing yards
247Sports Composite: Three-Star, No. 75 Safety, No. 69 CA, No. 926 overall
High School Offers: Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, San Jose State, UCLA, Utah, Utah State
Commitment Date: April 6, 2021
Adding a dynamic safety to the mix further solidified the Bruins' future secondary on national signing day.
Although he came into the early signing period as one of UCLA's lowest-rated commits, Stewart proved at Benicia (CA) that he could be a weapon all over the field. Lining up deep or as an extra rusher, Stewart has succeeded in the pass rush, run defense and through the air, making him an immediate fit for defensive backs coach Brian Norwood's aggressive play style in the secondary.
Stewart barely cracked the top 1,000 in the 247Sports Composite nationally, but he was the system's No. 6 safety in California this year.
Stewart is not the only safety who signed with UCLA on Wednesday, as top-ranked Kamari Ramsey, a recent decommit from Stanford, submitted his national letter of intent just moments after he did. With those two joining the picture and Quentin Lake possibly considering forgoing his super senior year in favor of the NFL Draft, a new wave of safeties could be taking over for the Bruins. Class of 2022 athlete Clint Stephens also has experience at safety in addition to cornerback, so he could factor in at that position group as well.
There is also the matter of the striker position – with Qwuantrezz Knight set to leave and Shea Pitts' eligibility up in the air, at least one new player will have to join Martell Irby in the nickel-safety spot. Just because of his nose for the ball and above average blitzing ability, Stewart could fill that role, making him one of the few young players to take on the position.
Norwood has mostly been working with veterans at striker, but sooner or later, he's going to have to turn to some fresh blood. Stewart could be just that, and he is the kind of player who can thrive moving forward as both a traditional deep safety or a more abstract striker.
Stewart also runs track and has run a 4.40-second 40-yard dash, so he brings a lot of athletic traits to the table.
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