Dylan Stewart, a standout edge rusher for the South Carolina Gamecocks, is widely considered a top draft prospect for the 2027 NFL. However, an incident during a recent game is raising concerns about his future. Stewart was involved in an altercation during South Carolina’s game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, which resulted in a 49-14 loss.
During the game, Stewart was ejected for punching the helmet of Alabama’s tight end Josh Ford. This led to a heated exchange with his coaches on the sidelines. Following the incident, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer announced Stewart’s indefinite suspension, stating, “I’ll make the decision on what his future looks like beyond this week here in the next day or so. Still having some meetings and talking with him, but he won’t play this week versus Kentucky. There’s a standard of how we do things in our program and that was not it last night.”
Coach Beamer elaborated that the situation involved more than just Stewart’s punch, emphasizing the importance of accountability within the team. “He’s not the first person to ever throw a punch in the football game and he won’t be the last. But it’s some of the other stuff. That isn’t how we do things in this program. Accountability is a core value in this program and we are all accountable to the standard, so we’ll see what that looks like here going forward,” Beamer stated.
Stewart, who gained prominence as a freshman, recorded 6.5 sacks and 23 tackles in 2024. He continued to perform well in subsequent seasons, with 4.5 sacks and 33 tackles in 2025. His efforts earned him a spot on the second-team All-SEC as decided by the coaches, and college football expert Phil Steele also acknowledged him as an honorable mention All-American last year.
The uncertainty looms large over Stewart’s return to the field this season. The Gamecocks, now with a 2-2 record after their loss to Alabama, are preparing to face Kentucky. The team and Stewart await further decisions regarding his suspension.