Junior EDGE Dylan Stewart has been named to the 2026 Preseason Associated Press First Team All-America squad, giving South Carolina a spot on a list dominated by Southeastern Conference talent.
The Gamecocks defender was one of 14 SEC representatives on the first team, a reminder of how much heavy lifting the league is expected to do at the top of the sport again this fall.
Stewart’s rise has been fast and loud. In 2025, he started 11 games for South Carolina and backed up the hype with All-SEC honors and honorable mention All-America recognition.
He finished with 33 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a team-high 12.0 tackles for loss. He also added eight QB hurries, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles, tying for second in the SEC in that category.
That followed a breakout freshman season in 2024, when Stewart was a unanimous Freshman All-American and a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. He posted 23 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, numbers that ranked third among all FBS freshmen.
The Washington, D.C. native has continued to collect preseason recognition heading into 2026. He was also named a First Team Walter Camp Preseason All-American, earned a spot on the Preseason First Team All-SEC team as voted on by media at SEC Media Days in Tampa the week of July 20, and landed on the Nagurski Trophy List Watch for the second straight fall. Stewart was also placed on The Lombardi Award™ 2026 Preseason Watch List and the 2026 Walter Camp Player of the Year Preseason Watch List.
The AP’s first-team defense included Stewart alongside Texas edge Colin Simmons, Oregon defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington, Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone, Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles, Auburn linebacker Xavier Atkins, Indiana linebacker Rolijah Hardy, Notre Dame corner Leonard Moore, Georgia corner Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia safety KJ Bolden, Oregon safety Koi Perich and Alabama DB Bray Hubbard. Troy’s Evan Crenshaw was the first-team punter.
In Other News...
South Carolina's Passing Game Just Took Another Painful Hit
South Carolinas receiver room took another hit this week when Jayden Sellers went down with a lower body injury in practice, a setback that will cost him the 2026 season. Sellers had appeared in seven games last year and was lined up for a larger role this fall, making the loss especially frustrating for a passing game that had already been trying to sort out its depth and options.
The timing makes the injury sting even more for a unit that can least afford to lose experienced targets. Jayden Gibson and Jackson Repp are also already out for the season, leaving the Gamecocks with more questions than answers as they keep working through camp and try to build around what remains in the wideout group. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolinas Young Quarterback Brings A Powerful Story And Real Upside
Landon Duckworth arrives in Columbia with the kind of profile that usually comes with a long runway and a lot of anticipation. The freshman quarterback was a highly ranked dual-threat recruit, and South Carolina beat out a crowded field to land him after a recruiting process that had multiple schools involved. For now, he is expected to learn behind the current starters, but the upside is obvious enough that he already feels like part of the programs future conversation.
Duckworths story also carries a personal weight that goes beyond recruiting rankings and depth charts. He honors his late brother with a chest tattoo, a reminder that the path to this point has included far more than football. As he settles in and develops, the challenge will be turning that promise into a real push for a starting job down the road, which is exactly the kind of next step the Gamecocks will be watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
LaNorris Sellers Now Faces A Tough South Carolina Reality
South Carolinas wide receiver room took another hit in late August, leaving the Gamecocks to sort through their depth just as the season is about to get rolling. Jayden Sellers went down during a scrimmage on Aug. 15, and Jayden Gibson was injured in practice the following week, a tough stretch for a position group that had already been expected to carry more than its share of the load for LaNorris Sellers and the offense.
Shane Beamer addressed the injuries and the state of the receiving corps, but the bigger concern now is how much flexibility South Carolina really has if the room keeps thinning out. Losing one option is difficult enough at this stage of camp, and losing another changes the conversation around who can step up, who can stay healthy and how much the Gamecocks can ask of the passing game once the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]