Background and career
Stephon Jakiel Tuitt (born May 23, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end for eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Tuitt attended Monroe Area High School in Monroe, Georgia. As a junior, he recorded 56 tackles, 24 for loss, including 10 sacks and four forced fumbles. In 2010, as a senior, he led Monroe Area to an 11–2 record and third-round appearance in the Georgia Class AAA state playoffs, after Monroe Area had finished a combined 0–20 the previous two seasons. His efforts led to him being selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas. Rated as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 2nd best strongside defensive end in the nation, he accepted a scholarship offer from Notre Dame over offers from Georgia Tech and Georgia.
As a freshman, Tuitt began his collegiate career by playing in 9 games, 3 in which he started. He recorded 30 tackles, including 3 for loss, and two sacks to go along with five quarterback hurries. He received Third-Team Freshman All-America honors by Phil Steele. In his sophomore season, Tuitt earned a starting position and recorded 42 tackles, including 13 for loss, 12 sacks, 9 quarterback hurries, and 3 forced fumbles. He also returned a 77-yard fumble for a touchdown against Navy. Tuitt earned second team All-American honors by the Associated Press. As a junior in 2013, after dealing with the effects from off-season hernia surgery, he totaled 49 tackles, including 9 for a loss, 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception return for a touchdown against Michigan. At the end of the season, Tuitt was named a first team All-American by Sports Illustrated, Athlon ESPN.com, and CBS Sports, in addition to a variety of other honors. On January 5, 2014, Tuitt announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2014 NFL draft.
Coming out of Notre Dame, Tuitt was projected by the majority of analysts to be a first or second-round pick. He was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine but was able only to perform the bench press due to a foot injury. Scouts were conflicted as to whether Tuitt was more apt to be a defensive tackle or a defensive end in the NFL. On March 14, 2014, Tuitt attended Notre Dame's pro day and performed for 59 team representatives and scouts from all 32 teams. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin were the only coaches who attended. Tomlin flew to South Bend specifically to meet with Tuitt, although he was unable to perform physically after having surgery on his foot the previous week. He was ranked as the second best defensive end prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, was ranked the fourth best defensive tackle prospect by NFLDraftScout.com, and the sixth best defensive tackle by Sports Illustrated.
The Steelers drafted Tuitt in the second round (46th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft. On June 18, 2014, the Steelers signed him to a four-year, $4.60 million contract with $2.72 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.67 million. He entered training camp his rookie year, competing with Cameron Heyward, Brett Kiesel, and Cam Thomas for a starting defensive end position. To begin the regular season, he was named the backup weakside defensive end behind Heyward. He made his professional regular season debut in the Steelers' season-opener against the Cleveland Browns. The next game, he recorded his first career tackle in the Steelers' 26–6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. On December 7, 2014, he made his first career start against the Cincinnati Bengals and finished the 42–21 victory with two combined tackles. In Week 16, Tuitt collected a season-high three solo tackles and made his first career sack on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. He also forced a fumble from Chiefs' running back Jamaal Charles and helped the Steelers defeat the Chiefs, 20–12. He finished his rookie season with 19 combined tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery while appearing in all 16 regular season games and starting four of them. He received an overall grade of 43.0 from Pro Football Focus (PFF) in 2014. The Steelers finished the season with an 11–5 record to clinch an AFC North pennant. On January 3, 2015, he appeared in his first career playoff game and made two solo tackles as the Steelers lost, 30–17, in the AFC Wildcard game to the Ravens.
Tuitt entered training camp competing for the vacant starting defensive end position left by the retirement of Brett Kiesel. He was named a starting defensive end to begin the season, after beating out teammates Cam Thomas, Leterrius Walton, Clifton Geathers, Caushaud Lyons, and Joe Kruger. He started the season opener against the New England Patriots and assisted on one tackle during the 21–28 loss. The next game, Tuitt made four combined tackles and 1.5 sacks on San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, helping the Steelers win, 43–18. On September 27, 2015, he collected seven combined tackles and a sack on St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles. The following week, Tuitt made a career-high ten solo tackles and sacked Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco during the Steelers' 20–23 loss. During a Week 14 matchup against the Bengals, Tuitt recorded his first career interception off a shovel pass from quarterback Andy Dalton. In the last game of the season, a victory over the Browns, he racked up four total tackles and a season-high two sacks on Brown's quarterback Austin Davis. Pro Football Focus gave Tuitt an overall grade of 80.4 in 2015. He finished his second season with 54 tackles, 6.5 sacks, one interception, and one pass defended while appearing in 14 regular season games and starting all of them. The Steelers finished the season with a 10–6 record and advanced to the playoffs. In the AFC Wildcard game, Tuitt recorded three combined tackles, as the Steelers defeated the Bengals, 18–16. The following week, the Steelers lost to the eventual Super Bowl 50 champions, the Denver Broncos. In the 16–23 loss, Tuitt collected four combined tackles.
