Stewart was attending the Crimson Tide's annual recruiting event when he and his parents were invited to the office of Alabama coach Nick Saban. That's where Stewart received the biggest news of his life.

"They talked about the family environment, the athletics," Stewart said. "Then they just offered me right there."

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound athlete said yes. His pledge came a little more than a week after Saban visited Fultondale.

Stewart said staying close to home was the main reason he committed on the spot.

"It's only like 45 minutes away," he said. "Being close to my family, not going too far away was a big part of it."

Saturday wasn't Stewart's first visit with Saban. The rising senior took recruiting trips to the Tide's regular-season games against LSU and Tennessee last fall before Saban made his way to Fultondale this month.

"I know he's been talking about wanting to go to Alabama for awhile," Fultondale coach Keith Register said. "He's close to his family, so it's a chance for them to watch him play."

Stewart received his first offer when Utah called Register on Jan. 12. Clemson and Tennessee extended offers in the past week, while Auburn and Mississippi State have begun to show heavy interest.

But for Stewart, the Tide's pitch trumped the rest.

"I've been an Alabama fan my whole life, really," he said. "It feels like home down there."

According to Stewart, Saban didn't discuss specifics of what position he wants the Fultondale star to play.

"All he told me was I'm a good athlete," said Stewart, who started on offense, defense and special teams as a junior last season. "He had said before that he'd take me as a defensive back.

"It really doesn't matter where I'm playing on the field, but I'm thinking it'll be offense."

Stewart shined especially bright on that side of the ball in 2011. The dual-threat quarterback rushed for more than 2,000 yards and passed for over 1,400 yards while accounting for 50 total touchdowns.

As a free safety, he registered 48 tackles and three interceptions, one of which he took back for a score. He did the same on a 75-yard kickoff return.

His performance earned him the Alabama Sports Writers Association's Class 2A Back of the Year honors, as well as the only spot given to a junior on the ASWA's Super 12 team.

247Sports.com rates Stewart as the country's No. 52 player in the Class of 2013.