The South Carolina Gamecocks are taking on the No. 16 Florida Gators on Saturday afternoon, as both teams are looking for resets. The Gators suffered their first loss of the season 45-17 against Missouri last week, and South Carolina is 0-3 in SEC play so far against Mississippi State, Alabama, and Kentucky.
One big question for the Gamecocks is whether or not their star EDGE rusher Dylan Stewart, will be with the team. He was suspended indefinitely from the team last Sunday after throwing a punch towards Alabama's Josh Ford. He missed South Carolina's game against Kentucky entirely.
Head coach Shane Beamer told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the Florida game that he was back with the team at practice, but he did not indicate whether or not he will play on Saturday. As the game week has progressed, it appears as though Stewart is getting closer to playing. On Wednesday afternoon, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported that it is likely that he will play, assuming things continue to go well:
It’s trending toward South Carolina star edge rusher Dylan Stewart playing Saturday vs. Florida if things continue to go well the next couple days, sources tell me and @chris_hummer.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 7, 2026
Stewart, who was suspended for last week’s game, practiced again today after also practicing… pic.twitter.com/i4nLHcmYdy
On Wednesday evening, South Carolina's initial injury report did not include Stewart. Ahead of last week's injury report against Kentucky Stewart was listed among players that were "out."
Although it seems to be promising for Dylan Stewart. He was suspended for the game last week and listed as "out" all week.
— David Cloninger (@DCPandC) October 8, 2026
Shane Beamer has said that Stewart "is getting back involved with our team, and each day we're trying to ramp him up a little bit more" but has not… https://t.co/0qj9Lf7Bju
South Carolina opened as a 14-point underdogs against Florida on the road. The Gamecocks haven't beaten the Gators in Gainesville since 2014.
“I do believe in my job as a head coach, I know it’s to win football games, but it’s also to help young men and help them grow," Beamer said of Stewart on Tuesday via Gamecock Central. "And as I alluded to last week, I hope holding Dylan accountable was a learning lesson for him and that there was growth. He’s a good young man that I care a lot about, and he’s not — I’m not condoning what happened in Tuscaloosa at all; it’s unacceptable, and I would hope my actions show that — but he’s not the first person that has ever punched a player in a game, and he won’t be the last."
Stewart missed South Carolina's first two games against Kent State and Towson as he rehabbed from his back injury that caused him to miss most of the offseason in Columbia. He has been slow in his first few games back, accounting for just one tackle so far.
Against Florida, South Carolina will need all the help it can get defensively. Although the Gators struggled against Missouri, Florida is still averaging 46.2 points per game. Quarterback Aaron Philo has been sacked just five times all season, with Missouri getting three last week.
While there hasn't been confirmation for sure that Stewart will suit up, it seems probable that the EDGE rusher will at the very least travel with the team to Gainesville.
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