A true freshman on the Maryland football roster has already paid it forward to the school that prepared him for his college career.
Defensive lineman Sidney Stewart is no stranger to acts of service, such as helping out at youth camps or working with young kids any time they are around Concordia Prep, his old stomping grounds in Towson.
But his generosity to donate $4,000 — part of his NIL earnings — to his high school’s athletic department in May amazed even his high school coach Joe Battaglia.
“Just an incredible thing for a kid who wasn’t supposed to be graduating from high school yet,” Battaglia said. “He enrolled early in Maryland, had made a little bit of money and wanted to give back to the place that kind of built him and give back to his team. I think he appreciates the people along the way.”
However, Stewart did not do it for the publicity. He did it because of the love he has for his high school.
“What inspired me to do that was the appreciation I have for my school and secondly, I want them to grow because their growth helps my growth,” Stewart said. “Coming from that school, the better they look the better I look. I just want every area and every aspect of my life that I was a part of to thrive. I enjoyed my time there, so the people that helped me [become] who I am I wanted to help in some sort of way.”
Stewart’s time at Concordia Prep gave him an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his father, Stephen Stewart, who is in the Coppin State Athletics and MEAC Halls of Fame for his work on the hardwood. Ninth in Coppin history in scoring and rebounding, Stephen was the MEAC Player of the Year in 1994 and 1995 and the Rookie of the Year in 1993. He is now an assistant coach with the Coppin men’s basketball program.
Sidney wants to add to the family’s accolades as a freshman.
“I want this year to be a freshman All-American,” Stewart said. “My dad played basketball. He’s pretty good. He played basketball overseas and he was an All-American in college. One thing he would always tell me growing up whenever [there] was something to do or any specific task he would always boast, ‘It’s only one All-American in this family.’ I can’t be an All-American at 7 years old, but now I have the opportunity to do that.”
The 6-foot-2, 255-pound defensive lineman is part of Maryland head football coach Michael Locksley’s plan to stack back-to-back high-end recruiting classes in 2025 and 2026.
“We’ve embarked on recruiting the best two high school classes that we’ve seen in the history of Maryland football,” Locksley said at Big Ten Media Days on July 22. “Half of those guys that we signed [for 2025] were able to enroll early and participate in our winter and spring programs, which gives us an opportunity to see those guys as early as possible.”
Stewart’s time at Concordia Prep began in 2020, but COVID-19 forced the cancelation of the season. He reclassified after his freshman year in search of an opportunity to play four years of high school football, but that ultimately didn’t salvage a season of eligibility for Stewart, who was unable to play in games in 2024.
As such, the 19-year-old will be a motivated player heading into his freshman year at Maryland, according to Battaglia.
“He was allowed to practice but not play, and that was hard for him to do just because he wanted to be out there so badly with his teammates,” the coach said. “We sat and talked when he was struggling a little bit with it. I just told him he was going to be so much better for that, and that he was going to have a little different hunger than maybe some other guys that were around him coming in because he understands what it’s like to have football taken from him.”
Stewart is thankful for his time at Concordia Prep, even if he only competed in games for three seasons (2021-2023).
“Even in that jam-packed bit of time I think I just was fortunate to have a good cast of people around me that can help me not only have the confidence to play well but then once I played well get it to the right people in the right areas so they could also see who I am,” Stewart said. “It was a supporting cast that helped me with my recruitment.”
Stewart was a late bloomer, according to Battaglia, in part because he began his high school career as a tight end for the Saints. Stewart “didn’t have the greatest hands in the world,” Battaglia joked, but he did perform well. The coaching staff was aware that tight end was likely not his long-term position even though he was a natural athlete.
Stewart played tight end until 2021 and then moved to edge rush.
“The next year he was a full-time starter there,” Battaglia said. “That third year he exploded as an every-down player.”
Stewart’s development caught the attention of programs such as West Virginia, Boston College, Indiana and Virginia Tech. But it was Maryland that ultimately piqued his interest and convinced him to stay close to home. He committed to the Terps in June 2024.
“Growing up here I just kind of felt disrespected,” Stewart said. “I feel like we had so many guys. … I think often they would go to other schools, and they would do well then you would just forget that they’re from Maryland. We never really got the love that I thought we deserved as a football state. Me and a bunch of other guys my age were like, ‘We need to put our foot down and go ball for our home school,’ so I think that’s probably one of the biggest reasons I chose to come here.”
Battaglia believes Stewart will bring effort and explosiveness to the Terps’ defensive line.
“I think he brings unbelievable effort,” Battaglia said. “He’s super explosive. Nobody works harder at their craft than Sid does. He’s in a different system in a slightly different position than he’s been in before, but he’s going to work so hard at that and be successful.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Maryland Athletics
Issue 294: August / September 2025
Originally published Aug. 13, 2025