TicketsWalter Stewart begins his fourth season at the helm of the Bearcats’ defensive line in 2025.
Stewart returned to UC as a coach after playing from 2008-12 as a defensive lineman. He was a team captain and second-team All-BIG EAST selection as a senior in 2012. He played in 43 games, went to four bowls, won four BIG EAST championships and totaled 185 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles. He ranks ninth in school history in career sacks and tied for second in forced fumbles.
In his 10 years of coaching, he has mentored three All-Americans, two conference defensive players of the year, one conference player of the year and 15 all-conference selections.
In 2024, Stewart played a key role in guiding Dontay Corleone to First Team All-Big 12 honors. Despite missing three months of the offseason due to blood clots, Corleone finished the season with 26 tackles, five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 11 games.
In 2023, he guided Corleone and Jowon Briggs to all-conference honors in the Big 12. The duo combined for 12.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks. After the season, Briggs was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 2024 NFL Draft.
In 2022, Corleone collected Third Team AP All-America and consensus Freshman All-America honors. The Cincinnati native finished his redshirt freshman campaign as Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated defensive player in the nation. Corleone split time at nose tackle with Briggs, who joined him on the All-AAC First Team as they formed one of the country’s most fearsome defensive tackle duos. Cincinnati finished 9-4 and played in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Stewart coached at Temple from 2019 to 2021 as the defensive line coach.
While at Temple, he helped lead the Owls to an 8-5 record and Military Bowl appearance in 2019. The Owls recorded 67 sacks in his 32-game span from 2019-21, including a 39-sack season in 2019 that ranked 16th nationally.
He mentored defensive end Quincy Roche, who was named the 2019 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year after tying the school record with 13.0 sacks. Roche was selected in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and has also spent time in the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings organizations.
Stewart also coached defensive lineman Ifeanyi Maijeh, who earned First Team All-AAC honors in 2019 with 6.5 sacks, and defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, who earned 2020 Second Team All-AAC honors.
Prior to his stop at Temple, Stewart served as the defensive line coach at Northern Illinois in 2018. NIU played in the Boca Raton Bowl and ended the year with the second-most sacks in the entire country (50), trailing only Clemson. Stewart also coached defensive end Sutton Smith, who was a back-to-back All-American.
Before NIU, Stewart was at Eastern Kentucky for the 2016 and 2017 seasons as the defensive line coach. During his time at EKU, his defensive line totaled 53 sacks between the two seasons. In 2016, 21 Eastern Kentucky brought down the QB 21 times, averaging 2.45 sacks per game (27th in the FCS).
In 2015, he coached the defensive ends at Florida A&M after being on the Tennessee staff from 2013-14 where he mentored All-SEC linemen Derek Barnett and Curt Maggitt.
Stewart earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Cincinnati in 2012.
He and his wife, Rebecca, have a daughter, Niya, and son, Nolan.