Seattle Native Jaylin Stewart Leaves UConn for SMU After Three Seasons, Two Final Fours, and a National Title
Jaylin Stewart had every reason to stay loyal. The 6-7 forward from Seattle stuck with UConn for three full seasons when he could have bailed to the transfer portal way earlier. He was there for the national championship his freshman year, two Final Four runs, and all the chaos in between. But loyalty only gets you so far when your role keeps shrinking. So Stewart did what he had to do: he entered the portal, and this week he found his landing spot. The Washington native committed to SMU on Monday under head coach Andy Enfield.
The UConn Years: From Championship Freshman to Bench Depth
Stewart came to Connecticut as a top recruit out of Washington, ranked No. 56 nationally by 247 Sports in the Class of 2023. As a freshman during that magical 2024 national championship run, he averaged 8.9 minutes per game across 37 games, getting his taste of the brightest stage in college basketball. His sophomore season showed more promise. Stewart started 12 of 35 games and averaged 5.2 points in 17.8 minutes per game, a meaningful role for a developing big.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiBut this past season? It got rough. Stewart averaged just 4.2 points and 2.6 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game. A knee injury cost him early, and even when healthy, the minutes dried up. In the NCAA Tournament run, he played a combined 21 minutes across four games after missing the first two. In the national title game against Michigan, he played nine minutes and averaged just 1.8 points across the entire tournament.
Why SMU Makes Sense
The Mustangs finished 20-14 overall last season, going 8-10 in the ACC. They earned an 11 seed and made the First Four in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Miami (OH) 89-79. It's not UConn, but it's a fresh start where Stewart can actually play meaningful minutes and find the role that never materialized in Connecticut. Sometimes the best move is admitting when a situation isn't working and betting on yourself somewhere else.
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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.