Back in early November, the South Carolina collective Garnet Trust was working on putting together a deal to give to elite freshman pass rusher Dylan Stewart in order to keep him in a Gamecock uniform for years to come.
It has now been announced that Stewart is officially going to be with South Carolina in 2025 as the Garnet Trust put together a $1 to $1.5 million deal.
🚨BREAKING: South Carolina freshman sensation EDGE Dylan Stewart WILL play for the Gamecocks in 2025. The former five-star recruit and On3 Defensive True Freshman of the Year has signed a new deal with South Carolina collective @TheGarnetTrust.
— Wes Mitchell (@WesMitchellGC) December 10, 2024
To be clear, there were no… pic.twitter.com/oqR4wrpfqz
Stewart had one of the best seasons by a South Carolina freshman pass rusher since Jadevon Clowney. Stewart came close to breaking Clowney's freshman sack record of eight sacks but ended the regular season with 6.5 sacks.
The South Carolina defense was the strongest and most consistent part of this 9-3 Gamecock team. Stewart was a starter from the beginning of the season, with his biggest game coming against Old Dominion, his first-ever college game, where he had four total tackles, three solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Stewart finished the regular season with 20 total tackles, 15 solo tackles, one pass defended, 6.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. The young pass-rusher out of Washington D.C. was also named True Freshman Defensive Player of the Year by On3 and was named a finalist for the Shan Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
In the landscape of college football now, Stewart easily could have taken more money and gone to another school, but he chose to stick with the Gamecocks and ride this bandwagon with head coach Shane Beamer, at least for another season. Stewart is getting paid what he deserves for the type of player he was for South Carolina this season, and next year, with seniors gone, he will be the leader of that defensive line.