Stewart Named HERO Freshman All-American
12/28/2016 1:13:00 PM | Football
HERO Sports Freshman All-American Team
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Sam Houston State Bearkat wide receiver Nathan Stewart hauled in a postseason honor on Wednesday when he was named to the HERO Sports Freshman All-America team.
Stewart was one of four Southland Conference freshmen to make the 32-member first team, with Stephen F. Austin's Tamrick Pace joining him to give the SLC two of the three wide receiver spots.
The Dallas native was named the Southland Conference Freshman of the Year in 2016 in addition to first team all-conference honors and finishing third in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award, given annually to the nation's top freshman.
He hauled in 52 catches for 1,004 yards and 12 touchdowns for the season, leading all freshmen nationally in yards and scores while becoming the first Bearkat freshman in school history to go for 1,000 yards and only the third freshman nationally to reach the mark since 2013.
Stewart burst on to the scene with five catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns in the Battle of the Piney Woods and was one of Sam Houston's top offensive threats from there on out. He caught touchdown passes in seven of the Bearkats' 13 games, and had his biggest day in Sam Houston's win over McNeese on Nov. 5.
That night hauled in 12 catches for a Southland-best 268 yards and two scores to go with three touchdowns against the Cowboys. The 268 yards stands as the second highest single-game total of any player this year.
