MORGANTOWN — Rarely does life come so perfectly full circle as it has for Blaine Stewart.
The Morgantown High graduate and son of former WVU football coach Bill Stewart has made his return to the Mountain State as WVU’s tight ends coach after five seasons as an assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“It’s just a great opportunity for me personally,” Stewart said on the Mountaineer Insider Podcast. “I’m thankful for the opportunity I had in Pittsburgh to learn and grow and be a part of some really cool stuff. Now, the opportunity to put my stamp on a group of young guys and be a part of something I truly believe in is something that I couldn’t turn down. The relationship with (WVU) Coach (Neal) Brown over the last couple of years really led to this.”
Brown, the Mountaineers’ fifth-year head coach, emphasized that Stewart’s hiring was based on merit and not his last name.
“I want to be real clear about this, Blaine didn’t get hired because his dad was the head coach here,” Brown said. “Blaine did a really good job of growing and developing relationships within this building. I had the opportunity to go (to Pittsburgh) up and watch him coach, and a lot of our staff has had an opportunity to go up and watch him coach, and multiple staff members brought me Blaine’s name and said ‘this guy can coach.’”
Still, Stewart’s connection to the state, university and football program cannot be overstated. He was front-and-center for one of the program’s biggest victories, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl when his dad was the team’s interim coach.
“I don’t think you’re going to find a more prideful person in West Virginia or in this building other than maybe (strength and conditioning coach) Mike Joseph from Fairmont,” Stewart said. “I take great pride in this university and in this state. I’ve seen it at the highest of highs, I’ve seen it at a couple of lows and I think the most beautiful part of this university is that it’s just special to so many people.”
Stewart said he and Brown have had a good relationship ever since Brown was hired in 2019. It’s that relationship, according to Stewart, that has made his return possible and has made it special.
“One thing that happened last year, his mom was able to come back into the building for the first time last summer,” Brown said. “That was really a neat moment. It means something to him, the fact that he grew up here in Morgantown, that he’s a Morgantown High product.”
Stewart’s journey to becoming a football coach began even before he entered high school. Then-MHS football coach and current athletic director John Bowers said he knew Stewart was destined for the coaching ranks before he even became a Mohigan.
“I knew he was going to be a coach before we got him (in high school),” Bowers said. “When you’re around Bill Stewart for five minutes, you have that infectious love of West Virginia, infectious love of football — imagine growing up with him. That was instilled at a young age, I knew he was going to be a ball coach and I’m so glad that he’s coming home.”
Stewart’s playing career was nothing to scoff at either. As a senior in 2012, he made 41 receptions for 615 yards and six touchdowns for MHS.
“There’s not a finer representation of West Virginia, of the Stewart family or of Morgantown High School. He’s first-class in all that he does and the Mountaineers are getting one of the best,” Bowers said. “It makes a wonderful opportunity for him to get back home. His mom still lives here, he’s got so many friends and family still in Morgantown and he’s so revered in the joint communities of Morgantown and the WVU community. It totally makes perfect sense.”
Stewart went on to play in college at James Madison and eventually ended his career with the University of Charleston. After graduating, Stewart spent five seasons as an assistant coach with the Steelers.
“My experience was something that will be with me long beyond my time in Pittsburgh,” he said. “I went there as a young guy and I’m thankful for (Steelers) Coach (Mike) Tomlin to just get my foot in the door. To be there for five seasons was really cool.”
Over the year, Stewart had thought about returning to Morgantown, occasionally checking in when positions at WVU would open up, but the opportunity this offseason was finally the perfect one to make it happen.
“This coming to Morgantown wasn’t the first time I had tried,” Stewart admitted. “I had tried in the past when there was an open job here or an open job there, I would reach out and see if I would be a good fit.
“Surreal doesn’t even begin to describe it. Coming into the parking lot, I honestly got cold chills.”
Despite being a wide receiver by trade, Stewart said coaching tight ends will not be a big transition given that he played like a tight end.
“I might have ran like a tight end even though I was listed at receiver,” Stewart joked. “I blame my dad being an offensive lineman.”
The transition from the pros to college also isn’t expected to be a big leap.
“He didn’t play here, but there’s nobody we could’ve hired that has more of a connection to the university or to the football program to him,” Brown said. “There’s other people that have those, but he has the ability to teach and I think he’ll be a star in recruiting. If he can relate and coach the way he coached the professional athletes, then he’s going to be a star at this level.”
With it still being the relatively quiet part of the offseason, Stewart said being back at WVU hasn’t really sunk in yet. He expects to fully feel it when the full team gets back together for spring practices, and especially when the Mountaineers play their home opener against Duquesne on Sept. 9.
“It honestly hasn’t hit me yet really,” Stewart said. “It will probably hit a little for the spring game, but that first time we play at Mountaineer Field is probably going to hit me. Always wanting to get back here was something I definitely wanted to do. For it to be now, I’m just so thankful and excited. You can’t take for granted this opportunity. I’m so excited to be back, to be home and be surrounded by people who invested so much into me. I just hope to pour that back into the university and the state.”
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