South Carolina’s rocky start took another hit Sunday when the program suspended star EDGE rusher Dylan Stewart indefinitely, a move that could hang over the Gamecocks for weeks to come.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Shane Beamer and South Carolina made the decision after Stewart threw a punch at an Alabama player during Saturday’s loss to the Crimson Tide and was also seen talking back to coaches on the sideline. On3’s Pete Nakos added that Beamer is expected to decide Stewart’s future with the program “in the next day or two.”
The timing matters, especially for Tennessee. South Carolina is set to host the Volunteers in an SEC matchup on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Williams-Brice Stadium, and the game is four weeks away.
That leaves open the possibility Stewart could be back by then, but nothing is certain until Beamer makes his call. South Carolina will also be coming off a bye week before that meeting with Tennessee.
For now, the Gamecocks are trying to steady themselves after a 2-2 start that includes two straight SEC losses, against Mississippi State and at Alabama. The schedule doesn’t get much kinder, either, with three straight ranked games coming up.
Stewart’s absence is especially notable because of what he’s already done in Columbia. The third-year Gamecock put together 56 tackles, 11 sacks, six forced fumbles, and three pass deflections across his freshman and sophomore seasons, and he was named a Second-Team All-SEC selection by the coaches after the 2025 season.
This year, though, he has barely been able to get going. Stewart missed South Carolina’s first two games because of injury, has been limited since returning, and has only one total tackle on the season. His injury began during the 2025 season.
South Carolina hosts No. 24 Kentucky this weekend, while No.
17 Tennessee is home against Auburn in SEC play. The Vols’ bye week comes after the South Carolina game in October.
In Other News...
Maryland Just Reached A Mike Locksley Breaking Point
Marylands rough afternoon against UCLA appears to have pushed Mike Locksley to a difficult crossroads, with On3s Pete Nakos reporting that the Terrapins coach is likely to be fired and that a decision could come as soon as Sunday. Locksley is still under contract through 2028, which makes any move a costly one, but the loss seems to have intensified a situation that had already been building for some time.
Shane Beamers name is in the same conversation, too, as On3 noted that the South Carolina coach is among the others feeling pressure along with Florida States Mike Norvell. For Beamer, it is a reminder that in this coaching climate, one bad stretch can quickly turn into a broader discussion about direction, patience and just how much room a staff has left to steady the ship. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Has A Bigger Problem Than One Ugly Loss
South Carolinas latest trip through SEC play brought another rough reminder of how hard life has become in conference games. The Gamecocks fell 49-18 to Alabama, extending their skid to seven straight SEC losses, and the margin was driven by a defense that could not slow the Crimson Tides passing game for long. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell picked apart the secondary, completing 21 of 27 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns.
LaNorris Sellers had his own uneven night, finishing 18 of 30 for 185 yards with an interception returned for a touchdown. One lopsided loss can be explained away, but the broader issue is harder to ignore for South Carolina: the problems showing up on both sides of the ball are starting to look less like a bad matchup and more like a deeper SEC issue the Gamecocks have not solved yet. [Read more 🡒]
Gamecocks Keep Wasting Their Biggest Strength In SEC Play
South Carolinas latest SEC setback came with the game already tilting hard by the end of the first quarter, a familiar kind of frustration for a team that has been trying to prove it can hold up against league heavyweights. The loss to Alabama exposed the same mix of problems that has dogged the Gamecocks in conference play: questionable play-calling, a secondary that couldnt keep things contained, and an offense that never found much rhythm even with a strong running game and a capable offensive line.
For Shane Beamer, the bigger concern is that the response he was looking for after the previous loss did not show up. The Gamecocks have enough pieces to make life easier on themselves, but those strengths keep getting buried by breakdowns on both sides of the ball, leaving South Carolina with too many of the same issues and not enough answers as SEC play moves on. [Read more 🡒]