Temple’s Cam’Ron Stewart made a position change and became one of the nation’s top pass rushers
Stewart made the switch from defensive end to outside linebacker in training camp. Through four games, the redshirt senior has tailed four sacks and has given the Owls’ defense a much-needed boost.
When Cam’Ron Stewart got a call from Temple’s defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun during spring camp to tell him the new staff wanted the redshirt senior to switch positions, the idea initially did not please him.
Stewart operated as a defensive end last season and during the start of spring ball, but the coaching staff under first-year coach K.C. Keeler saw a different potential in him.
They wanted him to transition to outside linebacker, a position he played in the past but was not entirely sold on moving back to. However, once Stewart stepped into the room with outside linebackers coach Chris Raitano, there was an immediate connection.
“Coach Raitano welcomed me with open arms, and it was truly a blessing,” said Stewart, a graduate of Governor Mifflin High School in Shillington (Berks County) who spent three seasons at Rutgers. “It feels like I have a coach that really loves me for me and not just as a football player.”
Stewart made the change and began to stand out to the coaches in fall camp with his athleticism and ability to rush the quarterback.
Now, through four games, Stewart has not only been one of the best pass rushers in the American Conference, but in the country. He is tied for sixth in the FBS with four sacks. His pass-rush production has given the Owls’ defense a boost and could be crucial heading into conference play.
“We always knew he could rush the passer,” Raitano said. “From the moment we got here, we knew that was going to be his role. If you look back at last year’s tape, that was kind of his role, as just going in on third downs and rushing the passer. So I think just developing him as an every-down kind of guy now is really where his most growth is coming this season.”
Stewart joined the Owls last season after arriving from Rutgers, where he played in a limited role. He operated as a defensive end in his first season at Temple and earned consistent snaps during the first part of the season.
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However, his season came to an end after he suffered a knee injury against UConn on Oct. 5.
Temple’s coaching staff underwent a complete overhaul in the offseason and the option to transfer was on the table. That option was never realistic for Stewart, and he was set on coming back to Temple.
“Growing up, I always saw Temple University. That was something that was in my vision,” Stewart said. “But God blessed me to play [at] anotheruniversity. So once I left, I knew that I was going to come to Temple, that was nonnegotiable.”
Stewart was still recovering from the injury during spring camp and did not feel like himself. He began to experiment with changing his position and made the full switch in fall camp when he was fully healthy again.
It was evident throughout fall camp that his skill set translated perfectly to his new position and his knee was fully healed. Through four games, his athleticism and flexibility have made the position switch seamless and he’s been a good fit in the defense.
“To be 6-foot-5 and be that athletic. ... He has the ability to still play off the ball and then we can give him some flexibility,” Raitano said. “Now we can blitz him and we can kind of move him around a little bit in our package rather than just be a true defensive end where offenses can get a pin for where he’s going to line up all the time.”
Stewart opened the season with a sack and two tackles for loss against UMass, then two sacks and three tackles for loss the next week against Howard. He didn’t record a sack against Oklahoma in Week 3, but was a constant disturbance in the backfield with pressure on Sooners quarterback John Mateer.
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He got back in the sack column with one against Georgia Tech to push his total to four on the season, which is already more than any Temple player has recorded since 2022. However, Stewart is not taking all the credit for his success.
“I’m in a new position and it’s complex, but it’s really not,” Stewart said. “I got great guys that are also rushing the passer, so it also frees me up. Majority of the time, as you watched the past two games, I’m getting chipped by tight ends going to my side, so the other guys could also eat.”
Stewart is now the top target on opponents’ scouting reports and he knows that.
His time in college football is winding down, and he has the same goal as every other coach and player in the locker room: to win. His success on the field so far has been a bright spot for Temple and an encouraging sign for the rest of the season. With lofty goals in mind, Stewart is just trying to take things one day at a time.
“We haven’t had a championship in here in so long,” he said, gesturing to the empty walls at Chodoff Field. “So that’s the number one goal. We want to go to the championship. But we’ve got to just attack it one day at a time. We play UTSA following the bye week and Navy for homecoming. We’re trying to stay head down, just working so that we can be 1-0 next week.”