Former Illinois State All-American linebacker Kye Stewart begins his eighth season as the team’s outside linebackers coach in 2025. Stewart also serves the program as the defensive assistant head coach and co-special teams coordinator.

The Redbird defense was particularly stout against the run in 2024, ranking fourth in the conference in rushing yards given up per game at 157.1. The group also finished year fifth in the league in defensive efficiency at 135.7, thanks to the play of All-MVFC Honorable Mention team selection Amir Abdullah who missed seven games due to injury, but solidified the Redbird defense in four wins at the end of the regular season with his return while tallying 4.0 sacks, 6.5 TFLs and 30 tackles in just seven games played.

The 2023 season saw the Redbirds become one of the best in the MVFC, thanks to the emergence of transfer All-American linebacker Amir Abdullah, who went on to finish ninth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award. The Redbird defense spent a lot of time in the backfield, as it ranked No. 3 in the country in sacks per game and ranked No. 16 in tackles-for-loss per contest.

The 2022 season was a historic one for the program, as senior outside linebacker Zeke Vandenburgh led the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss per game on way to being named a consensus First-Team All-American and the school's first Buck Buchanan Award recipient. Vandenburgh also was named the FCS ADA National Defensive Player of the Year in addition to being named the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, the league's Scholar Athlete of the Year as well as a First-Team Academic All-American and FCS ADA Academic All-Star.

The linebacker corps was a big part of the team's dominant defensive effort in 2019 that led to a FCS leading and school-record 52 sacks on the year. Linebackers Tuvone Clark, Brandon Simon, Zeke Vandenburgh, DeMarco Washington and Damien Jackson combined for 16.5 sacks and 33.5 TFLs on the season while helping the Redbirds to a No. 11 ranking in total defense in the FCS.

Stewart's outside linebackers aided the Redbirds in posting the second-best scoring defensive in the MVFC (20.0) and the second-best total defense (309.8 ypg) in the conference behind eventual national champion North Dakota State.

Stewart returned to Illinois State by way of Alcorn State, where he spent two seasons with the Braves as their defensive line coach. 

The Braves improved to No. 2 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) in pass efficiency defense (114.9) and No. 3 in scoring defense (21.8 ppg) and rushing defense (133.1 ypg) in 2017. The Braves won their fourth-consecutive SWAC East Division title and became the first team in the history of the league to play in four consecutive SWAC Championship games.

Prior to his move to Alcorn State, Stewart worked for three seasons as a member of the Memphis football coaching staff, serving in the role as a graduate assistant coach on the defensive side of the football. He was mentored by head coach Justin Fuente, who was offensive coordinator at ISU during Stewart’s career, and Galen Scott, who was his defensive coordinator while playing for the Redbirds.

In 2014, Memphis ranked 11th in FBS Football in scoring defense, allowing just 195 points per game. The Tigers only gave up 349 yards a game, which ranked 27th in the nation. Memphis’ 106.31 defensive pass efficiency rating led the American Athletic Conference and ranked eighth nationally while the Tigers’ 121.5 rushing defense average was 19th nationally. Memphis won the American Athletic Conference championship, the team's first league title since 1971, and posted a 10-3 record en route to a Miami Beach Bowl title. In Stewart's first season as a member of the staff in 2013, Memphis' defense ranked 39th nationally in total defense (370.7 ypg allowed) and 12th against the run (116.3 ypg allowed).

Stewart joined the Memphis staff after playing four seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders (2009-11) and the Edmonton Eskimos (2012). Stewart, who played linebacker, was a member a Saskatchewan team which advanced to the Grey Cup Finals both in 2009 and 2010.

Stewart played in the CFL after a four-year playing career at Illinois State. At Illinois State, Stewart was a two-time All-Gateway Conference player who concluded his playing career as an All-American in 2007. That same season, he finished fourth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is annually given to the Defensive Player of the Year in NCAA FCS football. ISU advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs during junior season in 2006.

The Nashville, Tennessee, native graduated from ISU in 2008 with a degree in communications and a minor in business administration.