It has been said approximately 1000000 times since Saturday, but South Carolina football fans were not thrilled with their favorite team's effort against the Old Dominion Monarchs this weekend. The game was ugly, and the winning margin was far smaller than it should have been given the talent discrepancy between the two teams inside of Williams-Brice Stadium.
Still, though, even the most pessimistic fan had to leave the weekend thinking about at least one positive thing. That "thing" is actually a person, a freshman named Dylan Stewart.
Stewart, who was a 5-star EDGE prospect in the class of 2024, just played his first college football game ever, and he might have been the most impressive player on the field. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus' college division, Stewart was the most impressive defensive player in the country. As one of many weekly honors received since Saturday, he graded out with a 97.4, the highest for a Power conference EDGE player since 2020. For some reason, on Monday, PFF dropped his grade to a 95.2, but that was still the best in the country by any player, regardless of position.
Stewart also was named the National Freshman of the Year by 247Sports and by On3 and was co-SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (an award he shared with teammate Kyle Kennard).
Not too bad for a freshman.
For the game, Stewart had 4 tackles, 2.5 of them for a loss, 1.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He did that as part of a rotation-heavy defensive end group and while "losing out" on maybe a few more big plays because of how good Kennard was on the other side of the defensive line.
Somehow, though, those numbers don't come close to doing justice to just how good the Washington DC native was against ODU.
Stewart's ceiling as a player is nonexistent because his physical tools are perfect for the EDGE position. He is long (listed at 6'6" with an even longer wingspan), has good size already (billed at 248 pounds on the official South Carolina football roster), and is a freak of all freaks as an athlete.
His first step past offensive tackles is quicker than should be humanly possible for a man his size, he has unbelievable dip as he shoots past blockers, he's got power that makes big offensive linemen look soft, he uses his hands as a weapon both against blockers and as a means of knocking the football away, and he has advanced pass rush moves (including an unstoppable spin move) that many NFL veterans don't possess.
You can see all of that here is just the 20-second clip below:
how in the world is this is a true freshman pic.twitter.com/6Jq9qghsbQ
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) September 3, 2024
In the first play, Stewart showcases his elite first step and tremendous bend as he somehow is untouched on his way to a strip sack.
Then, in the second, he takes a 6'9", 328-pound man and throws him backward, gets held briefly, then spins away, and chases down the quarterback who was scrambling in the other direction.
The third clip is of Stewart somehow getting lower than he did in the first play, beating his man, and then reducing so fast that he nearly gets to ODU quarterback Grant Wilson before he releases the ball on a no-drop, play-action quick route.
On the fourth, Stewart somehow gets from his defensive end spot to the running back faster than a pulling guard who began the play on the same side as the back. He demolishes the back as he receives his play-action fake and flies over the lifeless corpse, nearly grabbing hold of the quarterback again. Then, he gets up and sprints after the QB and hits him right after he gets rid of the ball.
This stuff isn't normal.
Whatever you think about Dylan Stewart's potential as a football player, it isn't enough. If things go well for him, South Carolina football fans will have the chance to watch their team's best EDGE player since Jadeveon Clowney and, perhaps, one who could reach the same heights.