Holy moly, Tyrique Stevenson finished strong at Miami, learned valuable lesson at Georgia

MOBILE, Ala. — Tyrique Stevenson found himself in tears watching Georgia play against TCU in the CFP Championship Game.

“I cried when they won it, because I knew the work ethic that we put in with my brothers,” said Stevenson, one of the standout players at the Senior Bowl last week in Mobile, Ala.

“I knew the type of grind that they went through and all of their hard work finally paid off.”

It could have been Stevenson out there, of course, had the talented Floridian chosen to stay at Georgia rather than transfer to Miami following the 2020 season.

Stevenson ranks as one of the top cornerback prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft — ranked ahead of Kelee Ringo in ESPN’s most recent mock.

But at Georgia, Stevenson was at the “Star” position, which required him to use his length and physicality more often in run support as well as when blitzing.

Indeed, Stevenson left Bulldogs’ fans with a going-away gift of sorts in the Top 10 showdown against Cincinnati

The last view Bulldogs fans got of Stevenson wearing the “G” he was coming up with a critical third-down stop that set up Georgia’s dramatic game-winning drive.

The Bulldogs, missing a handful of players to opt outs and injuries, rallied from 21-10 down in the fourth quarter to get a 24-21 win and maintain a streak of Top 10 finishes that dates back to 2017.

Stevenson looked back at leaving Athens to return to his hometown of Miami with mixed emotions.

“It was pretty hard, but I felt like me leaving Georgia was an opportunity to explore myself and give myself more room to mature,” said Stevenson, whose path to playing cornerback immediately was blocked by future NFL starters Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell.

Stevenson said he left with his head held high having learned valuable lessons.

“I learned you never let yourself drop below your standard, and you set a high goal and high standards for yourself,” Steven said.

“I was able to play under a great coach like Coach (Kirby) Smart, and I was able to have the experience to call those guys my brothers, which means a lot to me.”

Stevenson had arrived at UGA with great expectations, nicknamed Tyrique “The Freak” Stevenson because of his incredible athleticism.

Even among other great athletes, Stevenson stood out in an impromptu dunk contest with teammates George Pickens and Jordan Davis

Former UGA defensive coordinator Dan Lanning marveled at Stevenson’s abilities.

“You go watch practice, you watch that guy for a little bit,” Lanning said, “and and you’re saying, ‘Holy moly we’ve got a ballplayer.’ "

Behind closed doors, however, Stevenson would later reveal he was dealing with homesickness.

“My first few months there, I had a problem sleeping,” Stevenson told the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel in 2021 after transferring back to Miami.

“We got that situated, but it was more like I missed my family — not more of the city of Miami. I miss Miami, but it was more like I missed my father, sisters and my mom, so I really did get homesick for a few months up there.”

Stevenson’s Miami teams went 7-5 and 5-7 his final two years of college before he emerged as the top cornerback at the Senior Bowl in Mobile last week.

“I did my best to bring the standard from Georgia to Miami as far as myself,” Stevenson said. “I’m always trying to hold myself to that standard.”

ESPN’s Matt Miller on Tyrique Stevenson:

Projects: No. 47 overall, Washington Commanders

The most impressive cornerback at the Senior Bowl has a shot at Round 1 on the back of expectations that he will perform well at the combine. Stevenson’s speed is easy to see, but his length and physicality in coverage stood out in Mobile, too. The Commanders’ need for an outside cornerback with speed to stay in phase matches what Stevenson brings to the table.”