South Carolina Football: Gamecocks make top-5 for nation’s No. 1 player, have him on campus this weekend

South Carolina football has been in on Washington DC product Dylan Stewart for longer than just about any other program. The 5-star EDGE player has been on campus 7 times and arrived in Columbia today for his official visit, marking his 8th trip to Columbia since his recruitment began.

Considered the top player in the nation by On3, Stewart is a consensus top-20 recruit and is the top prospect on the Gamecocks’ recruiting board. On Friday, the talented athlete from Friendship Collegiate Academy announced his top-5.

Stewart named a final group of South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio State, Maryland, and Miami. South Carolina has been viewed as a leader or co-leader for much of Stewart’s recruitment. His announcement graphic was unique in that it featured a Friendship jersey-clad Stewart standing among some of the all-time great pass rushers in each school’s history

Recruitniks shouldn’t look too much into the timing of Stewart’s announcement. Though he is on his official visit to see South Carolina football, he had already planned to make his announcement prior to arriving on campus.

With that said, the Gamecocks should feel about as good as they could possibly feel about their chances with Stewart. His 8 trips to campus are the most he’s taken to any school, and he often talks highly about Shane Beamer’s program when asked about his recruitment.

Stewart is on campus this weekend at the same time as most of South Carolina’s committed players in the 2024 cycle. Dante Reno, Mazeo Bennett, Kam Pringle, and others will be looking to lend a helping hand to coach Beamer and the Gamecock staff as they recruit Stewart this weekend. Fellow top targets Daniel Hill (4-star running back) and Jonathan Paylor (4-star wide receiver) are also in Columbia.

As a player, Stewart is everything one would imagine a 5-star prospect would be. He possesses elite athleticism. After being undersized for part of his high school career, Stewart has grown into a 6’5.5″ rising senior who now weighs 240 pounds and has an 81-inch wingspan. He is capable of playing as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end, a stand-up edge rusher, and even a traditional linebacker in certain situations.

Some 5-star athletes are rated highly based on potential alone and are primarily developmental prospects. This is not the case with Stewart as he already shows on film an elite pass rush ability. Some parts of his game will develop over time in college, but he will be able to help immediately, especially in passing situations when he can be free to get after the quarterback.

If South Carolina football can land Stewart as the gem of the class, their team recruiting ranking likely will jump back into the top-10.

Stewart has not announced when he is planning on making his college decision.