Rayna Stewart, a former National Football League player and high school coach and teacher, enters his first year as a special teams quality control.
Previously, Stewart served as Vanderbilt’s Director of Player Development from 2015-17, serving as a liaison between student-athletes, the Commodore coaching staff and other departments in Vanderbilt Athletics.
Stewart joined Coach Mason’s staff in 2014 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 joined Coach Mason’s staff in 2014 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 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.