Better Know a Buckeye: Deshawn Stewart's Versatility Paired With His Speed and Awareness Will Allow Him To Be a Legitimate Part of Ohio State's Secondary As an Upperclassman
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Josh Poloha on June 5, 2025 at 3:05 pm
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Better Know A Buckeye is our look at every member of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class and how they became Buckeyes as they prepare to begin their OSU careers this fall.
DePaul Catholic High School (Wayne, New Jersey) safety Deshawn Stewart had long been familiar with the prestige of the Ohio State football program, dating back to when he watched the Buckeyes win the 2014 national championship, to be exact.
While he wasn't necessarily a lifelong OSU fan, the
four-star prospect in the 2025 class always had plenty of praise for Ohio State, especially considering former Buckeye safety Ronnie Hickman went to the same high school as Stewart.
Deshawn Stewart
- Size: 6-1/195
- Position: S
- School: DePaul Catholic (Wayne, New Jersey)
- 247Sports Composite: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #34 S
- Overall Rank: #379
How He Became a Buckeye
Once Stewart received an OSU offer on Jan. 19, 2024, the Buckeyes instantly became one of his top schools. The safety included Ohio State in his top three 10 days after that offer.
“It means everything to me,”
Stewart told Eleven Warriors of receiving the offer. “Watching them growing up, you see all the great players come out of there. The offer means a whole lot.”
Two of the biggest reasons for that were the Brotherhood and Buckeye Nation.
“Playing in front of all their fans,” Stewart said when talking about the most appealing thing about potentially playing for OSU. “Coach Day showed me they have the best fanbase in college football. The second college next to them is like (five million fans) behind. So that’s pretty crazy to play in front of all those people. And the brotherhood that they share.”
After a visit to Columbus on March 31, 2024, Stewart fell in love with the campus and coaching staff at Ohio State. Eight days later and six weeks after receiving that coveted offer,
Stewart committed to Ohio State, one day after high school teammate De'zie Jones did the same, a weekend that included four 2025 prospects committing to the Buckeyes.
“When he did it, I knew there was no other place we could be,” Stewart said. “This is the place."
Stewart was the 11th overall commitment in the cycle and the first safety to pledge to OSU in the 2025 class.
Deshawn Stewart already possesses the versatility, speed, and awareness that Ohio State loves, but must add to his 6-foot-1 frame to become a legitimate part of OSU's secondary as an upperclassman.
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