National outlet compares South Carolina football freshman to future Hall of Famers

South Carolina football freshman Dylan Stewart has taken the college football world by storm. The first-year EDGE player entered the 2024 campaign with high expectations as a 5-star player in this past year's recruiting class, but he has blown even the loftiest of those out of the water.

Depending on which outlet one checks, through two games, Stewart has logged either 2.5 or 3.5 sacks, 2 or 3 forced fumbles, and 3.5 or 4.5 tackles for loss (a strip sack against Kentucky is the difference as the official scorer credited Kyle Kennard with the play, but Stewart was the one who made first contact with the ball).

Somehow, those numbers fall far short of his impact on the game.

Stewart has done well against the run but has been a menace rushing the passer. When he isn't sacking the quarterback, he is pressuring the pocket and/or being held. On one play that went viral against the Kentucky Wildcats, he fought through a double-team while being held and then beat a back who was helping out before chasing quarterback Brock Vandagriff from the pocket, forcing a poorly thrown incompletion that led to the drive's end; essentially, he beat a triple-team, a hold, and a rollout away from him to make a big play.

The strong play has caught the attention of many in the college football world, but on Thursday's edition of "Bussin' with the Boys," Barstool Sports analysts Taylor Lewan and Will Compton hyped up Stewart in a huge way.

Lewan started by picking the South Carolina Gamecocks to beat the LSU Tigers this weekend. Then, he went on to say that he doesn't know if he's ever seen a player "put tackles in blenders like this" and then said he has the potential to be better than Jadeveon Clowney. Lewan is a guy who should know about Jadeveon Clowney's ability as he was the left tackle for the Michigan Wolverines who missed the block on the play known as "The Hit" and then competed against Clowney for several years in the NFL's AFC South division as both players made 3 Pro Bowls.

Lewan even went on to compare Stewart to future Hall of Fame EDGE players Von Miller and Maxx Crosby: "He's got the bend of Von Miller and the motor of Maxx Crosby."

Compton described the young Gamecock as "relentless" and as a player whose "bend is insane." The long-time NFL linebacker said that he thinks Stewart can "go through you [or] around you" as he gets after quarterbacks and that he could be "the second overall pick in a couple years" in the 2027 NFL Draft. Compton, Nebraska alum likes Huskers' quarterback Dylan Raiola to be the top selection.

Stewart and his South Carolina football teammates will play at Noon ET on Saturday against LSU in front of a sold-out crowd and College GameDay at Williams-Brice Stadium. The game will be available on ABC, ESPN+, and the ESPN app.