5-Star Football Recruit Tony Steward: Clemson Leads, All Official Visits Set

5-star linebacker Tony Steward is one of the top overall prospects of the 2011 recruiting class and as such has been highly recruited by programs from all over the country.

Most observers have pegged this one as a two-horse race for months now, a see-saw battle between Clemson and Florida State. 

Those are the two schools to pay the most attention to in this race, but others merit consideration as well; Alabama, Florida and UCLA all have an outside shot. 

It appears for now that Clemson has separated itself from the herd. 

Hale McGranahan of Scout.com reported earlier this week that "Steward claimed Clemson as his favorite following his three-day stay in Tigertown for the Dabo Swinney Football Camp."

This isn't the first time Steward has claimed his favorite though, having done so several times in the summer after trips to Florida State and others to Clemson. 

It seems everywhere Steward's latest trip is to turns out to gain ground in the race for his services; which is a very good thing for Clemson. 

While he has taken many unofficial visits, Steward has yet to use his five officials, but all the dates are set for the next few months. 

His first stop will be UCLA on December 3, then Florida on December 15, Alabama on January 7 and Florida State on January 21. Last but not least, a final trip to Clemson on January 28. 

While Steward plans on waiting until national signing day to announce his commitment, having Clemson last on the schedule can only be beneficial to the Tigers. They'll get the last word in before an expected commitment in February. 

With Steward's well-documented relationship with Clemson recruiting coordinator and receivers coach Jeff Scott, the Tigers have a definitive advantage in this one. 

"I talk to [Scott] as much as I can. We just talk about how each others’ season is, him just trying to get me up there, stuff like that," Steward said.

If things go right, Scott will get his wish. We'll probably have to wait a few more months to find out though.