When he was a senior in high school, Elijah Steward received his only offer to play college football from Lafayette College. Just three years later, he has already etched his name into the school record book and leads the FCS in total receiving yards and receiving yards per game.
In the Monmouth matchup, the junior wide receiver hauled in 15 receptions, breaking the single-game record for the Leopards. He also accounted for 244 yards, second in single-game program history. Most of all, he caught the game-winning 42-yard touchdown to secure the 40-35 win over the Hawks.
“I don’t think anybody really knows if they’re gonna get the ball 15 times in a game,” Steward said. “I was just making sure I was ready for the moment, and I know the guys trusted me.”
Before coming to Lafayette, Steward played at Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, New Jersey. Although he was uncertain about his future in football throughout his first two years, his outlook changed when his head coach told him that he could make it far in the sport.
“I was more of a basketball player,” Steward said. “My head coach really pushed me to play football, and I put up some pretty good numbers.”
Steward has continued to put up good numbers, with 374 yards through three games. At 25 receptions, Steward is also in fourth place in the FCS in receptions per game to start the season. He received national recognition as the FCS Offensive Player of the Week in week two for his performance against Monmouth.
Growing up, Steward’s favorite NFL wide receiver was Davante Adams, after whom Steward modeled his route running ability.
“I’m big on route running and tempo, getting in and out of cuts,” Steward said. “If I can’t be the biggest or the fastest, then I’m going to make sure that nobody can guard me.”
Steward found himself immediately integrated into the Leopard offense during his freshman season. He played in all 11 games, finishing the year as the team’s leading receiver with 370 yards and two touchdowns.
Wide receiver coach Ryan Roeder joined the program the same year as Steward and has observed the junior’s maturation throughout his collegiate career, both athletically and academically.
“He’s a tremendous competitor on the field, and he plays with great passion,” Roeder said. “He’s done a great job in the classroom and he’s done a great job growing up off the field as well.”
Although he was primarily used as a slot receiver in his freshman year, Steward was moved to an outside receiver last year because of injuries to other receivers. His new role in the offense attributed to a breakout season where he gathered 738 yards along with five touchdowns.
“The end part of last year and the beginning of this year he’s really improved and he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands,” Roeder said. “He goes up and makes contested catches, and he plays hard all the time, whether it’s blocking or making plays.”
Now in his third season with the team, Steward has locked himself into a leadership role for the Leopards’ receiving core.
“Last year we had a lot of freshmen incoming, and he was one of the guys that really took me and some of the other guys under his wing,” sophomore and fellow starting wide receiver Carson Persing said. “A guy like that – that you can look at and see how to help yourself work and get better in the offseason – it’s very good for all the receivers to have.”
Already taking home Patriot League and FCS national weekly awards and being well on-pace for a 1,000-yard season, Roeder is not the least bit surprised by Steward’s emergence as one of the conference’s top receiving threats.
“Eli is a guy that, when the lights come on, he’s a gamer,” Roeder said. “He’s shown that for three years. He enjoys making big plays and he enjoys having the ball come to him in those moments.”
Bill chamberlin • Sep 21, 2024 at 7:33 pm
That’s my boy !!