Blaine Stewart Leveraging Coaching NFL Players to Help Him at WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va – The return of the Stewart last name to WVU football stood out as the most well received piece of news of the offseason. Having Blaine Stewart back in Morgantown offers a sense of nostalgia for fans and those around the program, but the move will be judged by how he actually performs as a coach.

The first thing head coach Neal Brown wanted to make clear when he announced the addition of Stewart to his staff is that he was not hired just because of who his father was. And while Stewart has a coaching resume that certainly suggest this opportunity is simply a natural progression of his career, critics will still claim that the Bill Stewart legacy is why Blaine has his current job.

Fortunately, Blaine knows what he brings to the table. He talked about leveraging his time with the Steelers to help him with the WVU players and in recruiting, the one aspect of coaching Brown admitted would be completely new for Stewart. “It opened some eyes,” said Stewart describing how recruits or even the college players on the West Virginia roster react whenever he goes into detail about his experience coaching NFL players and working under a coach headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Mike Tomlin.

WVU TE Coach Blaine Stewart says he's actually used his experience in the NFL on the Steelers staff to help him recruiting. He said recruits have asked him about the Steelers and Mike Tomlin once he let them know where he came from and that opened their eyes to him.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) March 25, 2023

Stewart will be tasked with working with the tight ends at WVU. This made him feel the need to let everyone know right away that he coached every aspect of the Steelers roster, not just the wide receivers who he was assigned to work with. He’s confident being around Pat Freiermuth will assist him in getting LSU transfer tight end Kole Taylor to reach his potential. He also knows spending so much time with NFL players will allow him to accurately speak to what it takes to be a professional.

WVU Names Blaine Stewart Tight Ends Coach

“If their goal is to turn pro, I can tell them what it takes,” Stewart said during his first media session of the Spring. Stewart credited Tomlin with providing him invaluable lessons and teaching him to how to prepare as a coach.

WVU TE Coach Blaine Stewart says he learned a lot during his time with the Steelers. He said he learned how to prepare and he enjoyed seeing players work and improve over the years.

— Mike J. Asti (@MikeAsti11) March 25, 2023

There’s no denying owning a position room at major program like West Virginia is a big step up from serving as an intern or low level assistant, even if the place he held those roles was with the Steelers. And regardless if his last name assisted in his hiring or not, the Mountaineers now have a coach who can sell the program from his heart better than anyone and who has an NFL coaching background that will make him someone players may gravitate to, wanting to absorb knowledge they can’t get from anyone else on the staff.