Run it back: Dylan Stewart delivers great news for South Carolina
South Carolina’s most-disruptive defensive player is returning for a third season.
Edge Dylan Stewart announced Tuesday that he’s returning to South Carolina in 2026, posting his decision on Instagram with the message, “Run It Back.” While that shouldn’t be a surprise considering he’s not draft-eligible, it’s a victory keeping someone of Stewart’s caliber out of the transfer portal.
Stewart’s decision came one day after quarterback LaNorris Sellers publicly declared he’d be back as a Gamecock in 2026. And it came moments after news broke that USC was poised to hire Penn State’s Deion Barnes to be the outside linebackers coach replace Sterling Lucas (left for LSU) as Stewart’s position coach.
The narrative around Stewart this offseason will likely revolve around his NFL Draft stock and the chances he could become the first Gamecock to be a Top-5 pick since Jadeveon Clowney went No. 1 in 2014.
Stewart burst onto the scene in 2024, nearly breaking Clowney’s freshman sack record of eight. Alongside edge Kyle Kennard, Stewart racked up 6.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss and forced a trio of fumbles.
Without Kennard this season, Stewart took on the brunt of opposing offenses’ game plan, routinely getting double-teamed and watching run plays get called to whatever side he wasn’t occupying.
Still, he finished the year with 4.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and three more forced fumbles.
And that came despite Stewart playing the final few games with, what Shane Beamer called “basically” a broken back. Stewart could have easily shut his season down in November, Beamer said, but he gutted it out and played against Ole Miss, Texas A&M and gave it a go against Clemson.
Now, it’ll be on USC to put talent around Stewart because, for the second straight year, the Gamecocks’ sack leader (Bryan Thomas Jr., eight sacks) is graduating.
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 5:14 PM.
