Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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28 JUNE/JULY 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED that captivated him years later. The team-first mentality never really left Stuckey. Rather, it was reborn. In L.A., Stuckey attacked his aspira- tions with a sense of purpose similar to Swinney's. He landed a gig as a stand-in for a Kevin Hart comedy called "The Wedding Ringer." Stuckey's part was small. He played a football player in a muddy scrimmage scene. The inner athlete never truly departed after all. Airtime wasn't his main mission. He just wanted to be a part of something special. To him, he was. "It was one of the greatest experi- ences of my life," Stuckey said. "It's a team aspect, but there's also an indi- vidual component to it. When everyone on set comes together to play their roles with camaraderie and makes a beautiful movie, it's kind of like playing in a game." The years spent away from foot- ball weren't a waste. McKissic always thought Stuckey would find the game again whether it would have been 10 years ago or three. But first, Stuckey had to find himself. He did so through sports broadcasting in New York, act- ing in L.A. and even starting a cooking show while he was still playing for the Arizona Cardinals in 2011. Those interests aren't going any- where. Stuckey has already found his favorite coffee shop in South Bend. He has an assortment of exotic brews in his office on campus, too. He became a coffee connoisseur during life after football. Like learning he could impact peoples' lives as a coach, he learned cof- fee was a coaching staple as well. 'HE HAD SO MANY BIG MOMENTS' Whether it's coffee beans or inspir- ing others, Stuckey is a person roused by passion. Fellow former Clemson wide receiver and current Virginia head coach Tony Elliott saw it every day as Stuckey's teammate. Elliott described Stuckey as bubbly. Genuine. A really good human with plenty of personality. An ultimate worker on the task at hand. "When he asks you a question, he le- gitimately wants to know," Elliott told Blue & Gold Illustrated. "He wants to grow and get better. But also, he's a fierce competitor. Don't let the smile and the cooking and the culture he's been exposed to fool you." For Swinney, it's Stuckey's ability to relate to everybody that makes him spe- cial. His great energy and spirit. The "ultimate competitor" within and the "contagious enthusiasm" exuded on the outside. "He wasn't the biggest guy, but he played big," Swinney said. "And he had so many big moments." Stuckey's knowledge stood out to McKissic. "The game came easy to him," McK- issic said. "He may not have been the tallest guy or the fastest guy, but he was smarter than the guys he was going against." Those traits led to Stuckey's seventh- round selection by the New York Jets in 2007 NFL Draft. He stuck around the league for five seasons. He caught 106 passes for 1,062 yards and 5 touch- downs. Not bad for a recruit who showed up at Clemson as a quarterback. Who other than Swinney to facilitate a position swap? "You're going to be a good backup q u a r te rba c k , b u t t h i s g uy C h a r- lie Whitehurst is going to play a long time in the pros," Swinney said he told Stuckey. "If you move to receiver and give me two years, you're going to be drafted and play in the NFL." Bingo. 'THE RIGHT PERSON FOR OUR PROGRAM' Stuckey resented Swinney's advice at first. He wasn't a wide receiver. He was a quarterback. Looking back, com- ing around to accepting it was the day Stuckey's life changed for the better — in athletics and every other avenue. "Change isn't always bad," Stuckey said. "As young people we have this vision. And if anything deviates from that, the world is over. I can tell them Stuckey got his start in coaching as a 35-year- old graduate assistant working for Dabo Swinney at Clemson. PHOTO COURTESY CLEMSON Stuckey played five seasons in the NFL with the Jets, Browns and Cardinals, and he caught 106 passes for 1,062 yards and 5 touchdowns. PHOTO COURTESY CLEVELAND BROWNS