UW Offers an Iron Horse, a South Carolina Corner Ahead of his Time

Troy Stevenson is a precocious sophomore defensive back from Charleston.

Dan Raley | Mar 10, 2022

Troy Stevenson plays football for Philip Simmons High school in Charleston, South Carolina, a shiny place that's barely five years old in a city filled with aging and historical landmarks.

Something new for something old.

The high school is named for a Charleston man, an artisan and blacksmith, who was the best at what he did, becoming nationally known for his ironwork. He died in 2009, living to be 97.

Naturally, the team mascot name is Iron Horses.

Against this backdrop, Stevenson is a sophomore cornerback and a Class of 2024 recruit well on his way to becoming one of the football program's great ones.

Doing their homework, Kalen DeBoer's University of Washington recruiters found him in the South and on Wednesday offered Stevenson a football scholarship, bringing his list of suitors to eight and counting.

A lithe 6-foot, 165-pounder, Stevenson received his first offer from Penn State. He drew another from LSU, one of his favorite teams. Local South Carolina has made him a priority. Others pursuing him are Louisville, Virginia Tech, Ole Miss and Coastal Carolina.

For an 11-2 playoff team, Stevenson showed great anticipation in pass coverage as he intercepted four passes, returning one for a 67-yard touchdown and another for a 23-yard score. He was named All-State honorable mention.

Troy Stevenson (25), who has a UW offer, stands in the back, far right. — Troy Stevenson (25), who has a UW offers, stands in the back, far right / Philip Simmons

Currently, Stevenson is a point guard for the 25-4 Philip Simmons basketball team, enjoying success wherever he turns.

Like Philip Simmons, he's making a name for himself coast to coast.

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Published Mar 10, 2022

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.