Westminster hires Arch Manning’s high school football coach

Nelson Stewart, the high school coach of Texas quarterback Arch Manning and NFL wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and a former high school teammate of Peyton Manning, was named Westminster’s football coach Thursday.

Stewart was head coach for 19 seasons at his alma mater, Isidore Newman, a New Orleans private prep school. Stewart’s Newman teams were 162-54 with state playoff appearances in all 19 seasons, won seven district championships and advanced to the state quarterfinals or further six times.

Arch Manning, the nephew of Eli and Peyton Manning, was Newman’s starting quarterback from 2019 to 2022 and emerged as the consensus No. 1 prospect in the country as a senior.

Stewart also coached Beckham, the two-time All Pro wide receiver who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants as the favorite receiver of another Newman graduate, Eli Manning.

Stewart and Peyton Manning were teammates at Newman in the early 1990s. Stewart was captain of the 1994 Newman team and went on to play at Tulane.

“My family and I are so excited to join the Westminster community,” Stewart said in a statement that Westminster released announcing his hiring. “The opportunity to lead such an esteemed program at one of the finest institutions in the country is an honor and a privilege.”

Stewart will replace Gerry Romberg, who retired after 33 seasons as head coach. Romberg’s record was 239-146. He led Westminster, a Buckhead private school, to 27 playoff berths, seven region titles, three state semifinal berths and the 2015 Class 3A championship.