South Carolina EDGE rusher Dylan Stewart has been suspended for one game, stemming from the on-field incident regarding the Gamecock junior against Alabama. During South Carolina's blowout 49-18 loss to the Crimson Tide, Stewart was seen throwing a punch towards Tide player Josh Ford.
South Carolina, along with Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer, announced Stewart was suspended indefinitely from the program, not issuing a time table on his return. Separately, the SEC and the school also jointly suspended Stewart for one game. The conference issued the suspension for "egregious contact against an opposing player."
"Dylan Stewart's egregious contact reflects behavior that is unacceptable and not aligned with the standards of the Southeastern Conference," SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. "Such action against an opponent carries a serious risk of injury and has no place in our conference competition. This suspension is appropriate, and any future misconduct by Dylan Stewart will result in more severe disciplinary action."
Stewart's suspension comes as South Carolina is prepared to take on the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati also issued a statement regarding Stewart's conduct:
"Our expectation at South Carolina, is that our student-athletes conduct themselves with the highest level of integrity at all times. Keeping one's composure, even in the most competitive environments, is our standard. That standard was not met in this instance and we support the league's decision along with our head coach's decision regarding the current disciplinary measures enacted in this case."
The Gamecocks EDGE rusher was also seen arguing with both Beamer and other coaches at various points during the Alabama game. He missed the first two games against Kent State and Towson due to the back injury he has been rehabbing all offseason. He has been limited in his first couple of games back, registering only one tackle.
He is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, with several mocks having him go as high as the first five picks. It's unclear if this suspension or his on-field conduct will affect his draft stock at all, but it certainly will if these issues were to continue.
In his absence, the Gamecocks will likely turn to true freshman Julian Walker, who has a sack and two solo stops already this season.
The Gamecocks fell to 2-2 with the loss to Alabama, wth an 0-2 start in confernce play.
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