Florida LB Stewart to transfer closer to home

By Adam Silverstein
May 4, 2012

Florida Gators sophomore linebacker Graham Stewart, just months after making the biggest play of his young career in the 2012 Gator Bowl, has decided to transfer and play college football closer to home for personal reasons.

“Graham has told me he wanted to leave to get closer to home due to some personal issues. Family always comes first with me and he needs to be closer to his family,” head coach Will Muschamp said in a school release. “I’m thankful for his contributions to our team and wish him nothing but the best of luck. He will always have my support and backing if he needs any help in the future.”

Stewart, who committed to Florida late in the 2011 recruiting cycle after Muschamp and the Gators made a push for his pledge, spent most of his time on special teams in his only season at UF. He always appeared to be around the ball and had his most memorable moment in orange and blue by returning a blocked punt for a touchdown against Ohio State on Jan 2.

“I have some personal family issues that have caused me to evaluate how far I am away from home,” Stewart said. “I appreciate my time in Gainesville and have nothing but good things to say about Coach Muschamp and the staff at Florida, but some things are more important. I really need to be closer to home.”

Stewart originally committed to Boston College, a school that is approximately two hours away from home, before flipping to Florida on Jan. 29, 2011.

He is the 12th player to transfer off the Gators football team since Muschamp took over.

4 Comments

  1. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Is the reason “…personal issues…needs to be closer to home…” code for some other infraction or disagreement with coaching staff??

  2. aziatic41 says:

    Has the emergence of linebacker Antonio Morrison played a role in Stewart transferring?

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