South Carolina has put Dylan Stewart on an indefinite suspension after his outburst in Saturday’s 49-18 loss to Alabama, but former Auburn captain Chandler Wooten thinks that punishment goes nowhere near far enough.
Wooten, now a Carolina Panthers linebacker, said he does not respect Shane Beamer’s decision and suggested Stewart would have been kicked off the team if he weren’t viewed as a top-10 2027 NFL draft prospect.
“Don’t respect it.
After last night either you are allowing it or get him out of there. If anyone else did what he did they’re out of there
If you’re going to drop your nuts then drop em https://t.co/pxEKzrRIba”
Beamer addressed the incident after the game in Tuscaloosa, and his comments were much harsher than the eventual suspension might suggest.
“There's a standard of how we do things in our program, and that was not it last night, and it's beyond the punch. The punch is unacceptable... it's some of the other stuff that isn't how we do things in this program,” Beamer said.
“That's not how we do things around here,” he said. “I'm embarrassed to see that because that's not what we're about.”
Stewart punched Alabama tight end Josh Ford multiple times during the game, according to Ford’s postgame comments. Stewart was also seen arguing openly with coaches, with cameras catching the outburst.
For South Carolina, it has become a messy public-relations problem. Stewart is a good player, but not the kind who can lift this roster into something major in the SEC, and the Gamecocks already look headed for a middling season at best. That makes Beamer’s position even more awkward: he would have been hammered for doing nothing, but this response still leaves him exposed.
If Beamer eventually loses his job, this is the kind of night that will be remembered as the start of the slide.
The loss to Mississippi State in Week 3 was already a bad one, even with South Carolina favored. But the Bulldogs have stayed undefeated after beating Missouri in Week 4, and the Alabama collapse may end up looking far worse in the bigger picture.
One name already floating around for the next South Carolina opening is Florida offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner. Florida’s No. 5 offense is averaging 532.8 yards per game for an undefeated, No. 8 team, and Faulkner’s background runs deep through Georgia and his time at Division II power Valdosta State.
That profile would make him a strong fit in the region. It would also make him a better fit at South Carolina than Beamer.
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The bigger concern may be the ripple effect on the middle of the defense. Linebackers Justin Hill and Desmond Umeozulu are already out, which leaves Alabama thinner than it would like at a spot that can be tested quickly in conference play. With depth being pushed and availability still in question for at least one more player, the Tide will have some decisions to make before it lines up against the Bulldogs. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger concern may still be on the defensive side, where outside linebacker Justin Hill and defensive end Desmond Umeozulu are both out, and Umeozulu is expected to need more time. Safety Zavier Mincey also sat out the previous game after getting hurt in pregame warmups, leaving Alabama with a few moving pieces to monitor as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]