House of Stewart | by Pat

On the heels of the Jones and Reuland transfers, rumors started to fly on Thursday about the departure of another player, sophomore lineman Chris Stewart. Stewart's father quickly spoke up that the matter wasn't settled.

“I know he’s been a little homesick and he revealed to me he would like to come home and see his family, just visit with us,” George Stewart said via telephone.

“Transferring is something he’s thinking about, but, really and truly, my family and I are hoping we can all sit down and talk and possibly iron out a few things and try to get him headed back to South Bend if possible.”

After visiting with his family over the weekend, Stewart will be returning to Notre Dame and the football program.

"It was exactly what we had thought it was, some miscommunication that led to Chris wanting to leave Notre Dame," George Stewart told the Tribune via telephone. "There was some homesickness there too and a little about playing time, but really it was about communication.

"I felt very strongly about Chris staying, because I believe in a Notre Dame education and I also believe in coach (Charlie) Weis. But this was Chris' decision. It had to be. We just brought up some points for him to consider. Chris never stopped loving Notre Dame, and once he considered all those points, he knew Notre Dame was still the place for him."

This is great news, but for much more than just the positive PR spin. Stewart has been a fan favorite since the moment he committed, and it's great to have him back at the University. As for playing time, he still hasn't seen the field yet, but with the injury to Dan Wenger, Stewart is currently the second string right guard behind classmate Matt Carufel. With three more years of eligibility after this one and this spring's trial run at nose tackle in the rearview mirror, "Mr. Plow" has plenty of time to turn himself into a very solid contributor along the Irish offensive line and practice his harp playing.