South Carolina star pass rusher Dylan Stewart may not return to the field again this season for the Gamecocks. Since officials missed the incident live, Stewart avoided ejection during Saturday's loss to Alabama. However, the SEC and South Carolina have since issued a joint one-game suspension after a review confirmed Stewart threw multiple punches at Crimson Tide tight end Josh Ford.
Following the incident, head coach Shane Beamer suspended Stewart indefinitely. While Stewart has not been permanently dismissed from the football program , his return remains unknown at this point. When asked by reporters about Stewart's timeline, Beamer declined to say when—or if—the pass rusher would return to the team.
"No, he’s not with the team right now," Beamer said. "And to answer your question and [as for] Jordan’s question, his role or involvement on this team will be decided going forward by me. But right now, he’s not with the football team this week." Stewart is projected as a top-10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft and may have played his final game in a Gamecocks uniform.
Across his three seasons with the program, he has put up impressive production, recording 57 tackles, 11 sacks, and six forced fumbles. While Beamer has had his struggles at South Carolina, landing Stewart was one of the program's biggest recruiting wins. According to 247Sports, Stewart was a five-star recruit in 2024, ranking among the top 20 prospects nationally and coming in as the No.
2 edge rusher in his class. Sitting 0-2 in SEC play and 2-2 overall entering Week 5, South Carolina is under mounting pressure. To avoid the hot seat, Beamer's defining decision may come down to whether he welcomes a player of Stewart’s caliber back.
