Dylan Stewart might have had the best debut of any true freshman in college football on Saturday. When Stewart and his South Carolina football team took on the Old Dominion Monarchs in the season opener, Stewart showed the world just what he was capable of as he dominated from the defensive end position.
Along with fellow defensive end Kyle Kennard, Stewart lived in the backfield on Saturday, and the EDGE duo was responsible for 4 sacks, 6 tackles for loss, and 4 forced fumbles. Both players brought home several SEC and national awards for their strong showings in week 1, but because he is a freshman, Stewart seems to have garnered a little more national attention.
On the Thursday edition of the Crain & Company show, Jake Crain showed highlights from the Old Dominion game and called Stewart a "future 1st round draft pick coming off the edge...this looks like what 'Bama used to bring in. If you're South Carolina, you've got to defend this man at all costs."
PFF analyst Max Chadwick called Stewart "historically good" as the first-year pass rusher earned the highest PFF grade for an EDGE player since 2020. Stewart also had the highest week 1 grade among all players, regardless of age or position.
The explosive debut already has some brave prognosticators declaring that Dylan Stewart can be as good or better than Jadeveon Clowney, a player who remains one of the best defensive ends in college football history.
Whether or not Stewart ever reaches peak Jadeveon Clowney levels can be debated, but what can't be argued is that South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks need their star defender to continue playing well if they are to turn their 1-0 record into 2-0.
Stewart and the Gamecocks will travel to Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday to face the Kentucky Wildcats. The 3:30 PM ET kick will be broadcast on ABC and streamed on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.