Stevenson Blog: My journey brought me home and I'm happiest I've ever been

In his debut blog with CaneSport.com, University of Miami CB Tyrique Stevenson reflects on the journey that originally took him from Miami Southridge High to the University of Georgia and now back to Miami, the school that he and a lot of other people thought he would attend all along. He is expected to be a starter at cornerback and key cog in Miami's defense this season.

I'm the happiest that I have ever been in my life right now.

At that moment (in 2019) when I made the decision to sign with Georgia, I felt I made the right choice. Sitting down with my mom, we had a long talk, talked about the pros and cons, just looked at everything in between and out to make sure.

We both came to a conclusion - we felt me stepping outside the bubble of Miami would be the best thing for me, help me mature more, understand the value of living alone and growing up.

I really didn’t want to leave. You might as well say I went here (Miami) from high school because I was here on campus so much.

At first, I told my mom I wanted to come here. But she sounded worried.

We went through everything. I understand her standpoint.

Me being down here at UM, it’s only 20 minutes to get home. My friends were not the best friends in the world, you know.

Growing up down here, the majority of the times you do not get the chance to see positive, see things done the right way. It’s very tough growing up down here. There isn’t always too much good going on. You can tend to fall back into what you know and what’s around you and what you grew up looking at.

I feel that’s very tough. My friends kind of took that wrong path. I love them to death and still try to talk to them, but they took the wrong path. My mom actually held me back from kind of being around them, following the same path. Growing up I kind of got sucked in with them in some situations and I guess my mom didn’t want me to run into that as I was maturing and growing. I still hang around them, still love them, but their paths are very different than mine.

I hung out with the Miami players a lot when I was at Southridge, wore Miami gear to school - the gloves, the cleats, everything. So I felt like she understood it (love for Miami) from that point.

But she wanted me to open my horizons, get out of the bubble of Miami. So I went to Georgia.

But my head was `Why leave? It’s home.’

My mom has played a very big role in my life, is a mother and father to me and my four sisters. I love her dearly for that. She just taught me that everything happens for a reason and that if you have to think twice about it, don’t do it. I took that and ran with it.

My dad, I don’t know him, never met him. I don’t think I need to meet him. A simple call would have done.

I have a twin sister, then another sister born three years later on my birthday, then another set of twin sisters. They just give me another reason to get up in the morning, go out that door and give it the best I’ve got no matter what I decide to put my mind to. And to make sure whatever I succeed in trickles back down to them because they’re all I’ve got.

Every day that’s what drives me.

I’m the oldest, first born. Because we didn’t have our dad around, I played that dad role a little bit. I became overprotective, more than a brother should be.

My purpose in life is to make sure they are on top of their feet, have a good chance in this world. This world is real cruel - if you need something you have to go out and take it. Nothing is going to be handed to you. I learned that at a very young age.

But I appreciate my mom. She raised the best young man she can and I have all the respect for her.

I have a picture in my room where it’s just me, my sisters and my mom and every day I get up I look at it and it reminds me, `You aren’t doing this for you. This isn’t for you anymore.’

I’m sacrificing myself for them. I know if it was vice versa, they’d do the same. But it’s not and I take full responsibility for it.

They (Miami coaches) kind of knew ahead of time that I was going to go to Georgia, but also found out on signing day.

I kept it honest with them. My option was still to come here or go to Georgia. I signed right at the last second before they closed it. I took it down to the wire.

When I first got to Georgia it was a big culture change, a very big culture change. I had problems going to sleep, enjoying myself because it was so different.

I’m away from my sisters, my mom, it is my first year officially just being on my own. I kind of brushed it off, `It’s just a freshman effect.’ Then 2020 hit and it wasn’t brushing it off anymore, I actually miss them. And with COVID and everything, my mental health was real shaky.

Coming back down here and just riding through the streets, riding home whenever I need to, it just makes me so much happier being back here.

I wouldn’t say the time at Georgia was great - but it wasn’t bad. I actually enjoyed it, enjoyed the bond I created with the coaches and the bond I created definitely with my class.

To this day I still miss it. That’s my first college experience. It was not a bad experience.

But over the 2020 year, it was a rough year. That was the first time I sat down and brought up my mental health to myself. I stopped trying to push it to the side and just trying to give myself the excuse that `It’s football, you will possibly feel this way.’

But over the course of 2020 and some games, I just started talking to my family more and it just made me realize they’re all I’ve got and they’ve only been to a few games in two years and that’s not normal for me. I was a little depressed and very homesick. I just missed being around my mom and my sisters because they were all that I had as I grew up.

What also played a huge part was that me and coach (Kirby) Smart had a lot of disagreements. He felt I could play a different position than cornerback, which I did. Me being a team player, I did not question it. So I just did it. But when I actually brought it up to him about the corner situation we had a lot of disagreements and our relationship started to get a little sour. I played cornerback maybe four games my freshman season, and after that none.

I didn’t know all season I was leaving, but probably toward the end of last season the relationship started getting more sour. I felt they started noticing that and I started noticing it in myself.

I called my mom one day and was like `This is what I want to do' (enter the transfer portal).

She was more like `Are you sure? I’m behind you every step, I respect your decision because you matured into the person I wanted you to be.’

A lot of schools reached out to me. I lost count. My phone actually didn’t charge past 1 percent that day.

It was hot and it wouldn’t stop ringing. It was bad, it was bad.

I knew I was going to Miami all along. Once I made the initial jump into the portal, once it actually opened, coach Diaz was maybe the second or third coach to call me.

He called, sounded very excited. I was excited too.

He’s doing a normal recruitment speech, the normal stuff, and I cut him off - `Coach, I’m coming. Nothing else needs to be said. I’m coming to work, coming to give my all, be the best player I can be.’

He was like `You just made my night! I’m very excited and I can’t wait to coach you.’

I have several tattoos. My mom picked two - she picked PASSION because of the passion I play with for the game. And then she was like PRAYERS because no matter where you are, what situation, you have to put God first and pray about it.

The rest were my ideas - DREAM CHASER. That’s the only thing I’ve got to hold on, what I know is real is what I dream of - being successful, and not even the NFL part.

You know, it’s a longtime dream to be there, but I know it doesn’t last forever. So my thing is being successful and make sure my family and the family I wind up having one day is okay. That’s really my goal in life.

It didn’t shock me when I started fall camp on the second team. I was used to being a two at Georgia. So it wasn’t really a shock. I knew I had to step up my game a lot.

Coming in, I knew I had to prove myself. You are coming into a new program and I haven’t played corner in the last two years. So coming in I was like `I have to prove myself, show them I’ve still got it.’

I’m coming in to compete against two corners who already had their spots for the last two years. Me coming in has been kind of different for them. They’re going to be going harder, and I have to go harder than them.

It’s actually fun. It’s a challenge. Playing with King, they go quick. Maybe one play happens, they’re right back on the ball, probably have the next four plays in their head.

And I feel like that’s a challenge we need. And it’s fun because you have to get back lined up and ready to play. It is making us more conditioned, teaching us `Get back to your spot, then look for the play.’

I feel we’re coming together great.

There has been more chemistry in the locker room, more position groups are bonding with more position groups.

Everybody is starting to hang out with everybody, there aren’t any outsiders, nobody is getting treated differently than another.

I think no matter the size of receiver they’re going to come out there and let me play cornerback.

It’s better on my part because if anything we have to stop a big 6-4, 6-5 receiver and he’s on the boundary, you might as well put me over there.

No shots at Te’Cory Couch or DJ Ivey, but I bench more than them. So it would be a better role for me. Or if they keep splitting the tight end out at receiver it would be a better benefit for me to go over there.

I’m going to be at corner, but when we start game planning in some packages if I need to, I’ll step down inside and sacrifice myself and do it.

When I first got here, I didn’t think so. But practicing with these guys and seeing these guys’ effort, it’s not that far off. They might be just a little bigger, they recruit bigger. That’s the only thing. As far as getting to the ball, we move faster here.

Some of our D linemen clock over 16 or 17 miles per hour, and they do it frequently. All our DBs are running over 20s and 21s. Just everybody moves fast. Everybody’s head is on a swivel and everybody is running to the ball. That’s what our big thing is playing with a tempo offense. Get back to your spot and with that we’re well conditioned.

I’ve never seen anything like it. And I feel like everybody has a better actual purpose here.

We have a lot of potential. Once we finally gel together as an entire defense - once the linebackers and the D line click and the linebackers and the secondary click - I feel we’ll be a great defense.

I believe we can win. If we come out and play our game, start fast how Miami always is, use what we have as a weapon to the best of our ability, yes we have a chance.