June 8, 2015
Rayna Stewart, a former National Football League player and high school coach and teacher, has been hired as Vanderbilt’s Director of High School Relations, Commodore Head Coach Derek Mason announced today.
A former NFL player who has taught and coached at high schools in Middle Tennessee, Stewart will serve as a liaison between Vanderbilt coaches and high school coaches, assist Director of Player Personnel Tyler Barnes, help organize official and unofficial recruiting visits, and coordinate all Vanderbilt-affiliated coaches’ clinics and camps.
Stewart joins the Commodores after serving two years as a teacher and head football coach at Whites Creek High School in Nashville. He also served as a teacher and coach at Battle Ground Academy in nearly Franklin for two years before joining the Whites Creek staff.
Stewart enjoyed a five-year NFL career after a standout career at Northern Arizona University. He contributed as a defensive back and on special teams for Houston-Tennessee (1996-97), Miami (1998) and Jacksonville (1999-2000).
Stewart was a two-time All-America cornerback at Northern Arizona, earning recognition as a junior and senior. After getting selected by Houston in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL draft, Stewart registered two interceptions while participating in 71 career games.
Stewart also has coached in the collegiate and professional ranks. He served as a graduate assistant at Northwestern University under Pat Fitzgerald from 2007-09, and as a defensive quality control coach with the Tennessee Titans under Jeff Fisher from 2009-11.
He also has football-related experience as an athletic director-head coach at Chicago (Ill.) Hope Academy (2005-06), assistant coach at Centennial (Tenn.) H.S. (2001-04), and training camp intern with the Indianapolis Colts (2004).
Stewart also is an active board member of Barefoot Republic Camp in Nashville.
Stewart earned a bachelor’s in advertising from Northern Arizona, and master’s in education administration from Tennessee State.
Stewart and his wife, Sonia, have four children: ShaRae, Tre, Mycah and Jadyn. His wife is an executive principal in the Nashville school system, and earned her doctorate in education from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College.
Mason also announced the hiring of three additional assistants in the Commodore program: Kevin Abrams and Tate Benton as offensive graduate assistants, and Ryan Blakney as an offensive control quality.
Abrams, who will also assist with special teams, comes to Vanderbilt after working last season at the University of Buffalo. He also participated as a undergraduate assistant at the University of Illinois from2009-12.
Benton was an undergraduate defensive assistant at Mississippi State University in 2013-14, helping the Bulldogs to a 17-9 overall record.
Blakney worked last season under new Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig at the University of Wisconsin, helping the Badger offense to average 34.6 points and 320.1 rushing yards. He also was a student assistant, then quality control staffer, at San Diego State University from 2011-13.
