Dylan Stewart came out of high school as a five-star recruit out of Washington, D.C., as the No. 1 EDGE rusher in the country. He received numerous offers from power conference schools such as Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Miami, and, of course, South Carolina.
Stewart chose to join head coach Shane Beamer and the rest of the Gamecocks squad for his college career, and fans could not be happier. Beamer couldn't wait to get Stewart into the defense and had him on the line from the start of the season.
Now, with Week 10 in the books, Stewart is looking like the best true freshman in college football, at least according to Charles Power with On3 Sports.
Week 10 College Football True Freshmen Standouts headlined by South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart🤙
— On3 (@On3sports) November 4, 2024
(via @CharlesPower) https://t.co/CgXEAepdUr pic.twitter.com/i0FuhzaVhH
Charles isn't wrong with his rankings, as Stewart has put together the most complete season by a true freshman in college football. So far this season, Stewart has 16 total tackles, 12 solo tackles, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Against No. 10 Texas A&M, Stewart had nine pressures and was a big reason the Gamecocks were able to get in the face of the Aggies' quarterback, Marcel Reed. Stewart's sack of Reed in the fourth quarter opened the floodgates for the South Carolina defense that did not allow a single point to Texas A&M in the second half.
The big game against the Aggies just solidified Stewart's status as one of the top true freshmen of the season. Stewart currently has the third-highest pass rush grade among all EDGE rushers in the country.
Stewart is currently on a three-game streak with at least one sack against an opponent, and with Vanderbilt coming up, the young freshman has a chance to continue that streak by taking down Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia.