South Carolina Football's 5 Freshmen to Watch this Preseason:
EDGE Dylan Stewart
One of two 5-star prospects to sign with the Gamecocks in the class of 2024, Dylan Stewart will play a lot in 2024. A native of Washington DC, Stewart is the ideal archetype of a young pass rusher; at 6'5", he is near 250 pounds and has long arms, elite athleticism, and a mean streak that comes across on film.
Stewart will have the opportunity to play early for the Gamecocks, and some believe he could be the day 1 starter for Clayton White's defense this fall.
His skillset allows for him to play a couple of potential roles for USC. If Carolina is running their 4-2-5 base defense, Stewart can play as a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end or as a stand-up end in certain situations. If he is on the field in the Gamecocks' 3-3-5 look up front, he has enough size to hold down a 3-3-5 end spot but also could be a designated pass rusher from a linebacker spot in obvious passing situations.
Most of the time, though, Dylan Stewart will play defensive end for the 'Cocks, and he will be competing against a lot of talented players for snaps. Veteran ends like Kyle Kennard, Gilber Edmond, JT Geer, Bryan Thomas, Jr., Desmond Umeozulu, and Elijah Davis, versatile defensive linemen like Tonka Hemingway and TJ Sanders, and capable pass-rushing linebackers like Jaron Willis, Bam Martin-Scott, Wendell Gregory, and Fred "JayR" Johnson will be part of the discussion along with Stewart.
The competition at EDGE will be fierce this fall, but fans should expect to see Dylan Stewart right in the thick of things.