Bill Stewart, high school coach to six NFL players
Today’s interviewee is former North Gwinnett coach Bill Stewart, who has six former players on active NFL rosters heading into tonight’s league opener between the Eagles and Cowboys. All six – Barrett Carter, Josh Downs, Tyler Goodson, Jordan Hancock, Jared Ivey and D.J. Turner II – played on his 2017 North Gwinnett team that won Class 7A, though most were underclassmen then. Stewart left North Gwinnett after the 2022 season to become a defensive analyst at Georgia Tech. He is back in high school football this season as defensive coordinator at Rabun County.
1. Six of your players are on NFL rosters, and three are rookies. How do you feel about that news? “You realize how blessed you were. It was pretty amazing to be with those guys. They’re all great human beings who were mature kids that knew how to do it. With all those guys, the one thing all had was grit. All were ultra-competitive, every one of them. They had that championship mindset where they never wanted second place. That’s what binds them all together.”
2. What are your memories of each of them? “Josh Downs, as a sophomore when we won the state championship, he was so critical in all phases. He was always the guy who was going to make a big play. And when you say competitive heart, he’s one of those guys. Tyler Goodson, he probably had the best run in the playoffs all the way to the state championship as any running back could have had [748 rushing yards, 10 touchdowns in five games]. His playoff run was unbelievable. Jared Ivey had 20 sacks in a season. He was always going to be competing at a high level.
“We converted Barrett Carter from an offensive juggernaut to being a linebacker. There was no denying the character he had. He was never going to have a bad day. D.J. was a professional. He did his work and went about his business. He knew he wanted to play corner in the NFL from the beginning. Jordan Hancock … we’d had some FBS corners before, but I’d tell coaches when they came in that he was even more athletic. He could run faster and jump higher. He was a legitimate athlete. All those guys figured out work that it takes because we weren’t easy on anybody.”
3. You spent two years at Georgia Tech as a defensive analyst for linebackers. Based on that college experience, what would you tell high school players looking to play at the next level? “Know what you’re getting into. When you get at that level, you’re one bad decision away from not being on the team. You have to mature quickly, and if you don’t, there’s just so many easy ways to replace you now. The pool is smaller as far as pulling kids from high school because you’ve got this portal thing going on. You might have to take a different route to get where you want to be. It’s definitely a different game. It’s pretty cutthroat when it comes to developing players. You can’t go in and have a bad freshman year and think ‘oh, he’s just a freshman.’ I don’t think you can do that anymore unless you’re the elite of the elite. Your program in high school has to have the same high expectations so those guys are prepared to do that. Character and the kind of person you are matters.”
4. What brought you back to high school football? “College is a grind, obviously. Some of the things you miss in high school football are just different. The community part of it and Friday nights are just unique. There’s a huge love of football in high school. Friday nights still matter in Georgia, whether it’s a big town or small town. I’m doing the weight room and the defense here, and I love getting here and sweating with the guys. It’s exciting and energizing every day you come in to work. Obviously there are a lot of great things in college, being a part of that big thing. It’s awesome, but there’s a lot to be said about being in this setting where you’re inspiring a community and getting involved with young men and having an influence on who they become in this impressionable time as a teenager. That’s critical. It’s been awesome to be back.”
