Renowned college coach who worked with Bengals stars Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase heaps praise on Shemar Stewart

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 7:33 PM ET

In the weeks leading up to his rookie contract being finalized, Cincinnati Bengals' first-round pick Shemar Stewart did spend some time practicing and training with Texas A&M as his former college team gets ready for their 2025 season.

No, he wasn't preparing to play alongside them, just to prepare for the training camp he's now a part of in Cincinnati.

Now that he's in the Queen City, locked in and all, it's about fitting in with his new teammates after spending much time with his teammates of old. A close ally doesn't expect that to be an issue.

Tommy Moffitt, Texas A&M's director of football strength and conditioning, worked with Stewart since being hired in January of 2024. His previous position was assistant athletic director and the strength and conditioning coach for LSU, where he crossed paths with current Bengals stars Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.

Having worked with the biggest names in Bengals football and the team's newest first-rounder at an entirely different program, Moffitt foresees Stewart as an ideal match for the Bengals' locker room.

"He's so humble and down to earth. He's going to get along well with Joe [Burrow] and Ja'Marr [Chase] because he's just so down to earth and humble," Moffitt told Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "He's just one of the guys. He's not a prima donna. You wouldn't have known he was an NFL player. He worked right along beside my team and did a hell of a job and tried to stay in shape. He's just a great human being. Super nice. Very approachable. The community is going to love him."

Moffitt has been a part of three National Championship victories and has taken home multiple awards for strength and conditioning over the years, most recently the 2019 FootballScoop Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year during Burrow and Chase's legendary title run with LSU.

There have been ample questions regarding Stewart as a player spanning long before the Bengals ever drafted him, but the last three months of contract squabbling have given fans reason to also question Stewart as a person. Attacking the organization publicly while unsigned and skipping mandatory practices only happened six weeks ago.

Business can be ugly, but when water goes under the bridge, it stays under there.

Stewart has said and done all the right things since returning from College Station to Cincinnati last weekend to officially join his new team. His personality from when he was drafted in April began to show itself once more with troubles of the previous three months behind him and the front office.

The Bengals made an emphasis on targeting character in the draft, and that includes Stewart. Count Moffitt as the source of a ringing endorsement.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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