Tony Steward, the 5-star linebacker hailed as the position’s most athletic player in the class of 2011, is reportedly down to three schools: Florida State, Clemson and UCLA.

The 6’1”, 225-pound Steward is a force in stopping the run and has the athletic ability to hang with receivers and tight ends in passing coverage. Equally exceptional at outside or inside linebacker, Steward is undoubtedly likely to make an immediate impact wherever he ends up.

At this point, it seems as though UCLA has their man.

After struggling to compete with USC, Oregon, Stanford and Cal, who have all jumped to the head of the class in the Pac-10, UCLA will finally make a splash when the Bruins land Steward.

Steward made his official visit to UCLA in December and reportedly loved it. He noted after the visit that he really didn’t think he’d like L.A. and UCLA as much as he did but could really see himself playing for the Bruins. He loves the location, the campus, and said UCLA had people he’d like to play alongside.

The top-ranked linebacker in the nation, Steward could excel at UCLA. Despite the struggles to compete with the perennial national powers the Pac-10 has to offer, UCLA has gained a handful of talented recruits.

With 4-star and fifth-ranked quarterback Brett Hundley signed and a trio of offensive linemen ready to bolster the Bruins’ offense for the next few years, Steward could join the likes of defensive end Sam Tai and outside linebackers Aaron Wallace and Ryan Hofmeister in what could be a game changing recruiting class for UCLA.