Skip to main content
Garnet and Cocky
Fansided

South Carolina looks to stay hot on recruiting trail with new defensive staff hire

The Gamecocks added LaFayette Stewart Jr. to their coaching staff on Friday.
ByMorgan Moriarty|
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Nov 22, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer leads his team onto the field before their game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Nov 22, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer leads his team onto the field before their game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The South Carolina Gamecocks are looking to put the football program in the right direction following a 4-8 season in 2025. Although there are a little less than two months before the Gamecocks' 2026 season kicks off, sixth-year head coach Shane Beamer is still adding to his coaching staff. 

On Friday, South Carolina officially added LaFayette Stewart Jr. to the Gamecocks' coaching staff. After previously spending the last two seasons at NC State, Stewart Jr. is the team's new Director of Recruiting for Defense. For the Wolfpack, Stewart was the program's assistant director of recruiting. 

He had previous stops at Charlotte, where he was the Director of Player Development, as well as working as a defensive assistant there. According to Gamecocks 247, Stewart also coached at several South Carolina high schools before his collegiate coaching days. He made the news official on his Instagram page by posting "I'm home" over footage of various Gamecock football clips. 

As for his role within South Carolina's staff, he joins a 2027 Gamecock recruiting class that has cleaned up in recent weeks, especially on defense. South Carolina's class features several huge blue-chip guys, headlined by five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson, safety Davion Jones, defensive lineman John Archer, cornerback Kelvin Millington, and three-star linebacker Jackson Ross. The class ranks 30th nationally in the country, per the 247Sports Composite. 

"We have coaches on our staff that had opportunities to take other jobs in college football and in the NFL, and they chose to stay," Beamer said of his coaching staff this week at SEC Media Days. "The coaches that came to us -- we have new coaches on our staff -- they chose to come along with the high school recruits that I just referenced and the transfer portal guys that came in to us. They chose to come because they believe in what we're about. They believe in what we've done, what we're doing, but more importantly, where we're going as a program. I can't wait to start practice in August."

Congrats to Stewart on joining the Gamecocks coaching staff, and welcome home!

ALSO READ: South Carolina football's new Nike jersey combinations revealed

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Home/South Carolina Football