Dylan Stewart
Dylan Stewart already has 11 career sacks and six forced fumbles -- and he can't even enter the NFL Draft until 2027. He's one of the best edge rushers in college football, and South Carolina has him for a while.
Dylan Stewart already has 11 career sacks and six forced fumbles — and he can't even enter the NFL Draft until 2027. He's one of the best edge rushers in college football, and South Carolina has him for a while.
Stewart announced himself as a unanimous Freshman All-American and just kept coming: 56 tackles, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles across his first 24 games, the production of an edge rusher who's both fast off the ball and disruptive once he arrives. At 6-5, 245, he pairs explosive bend with a knack for the strip. He's officially back, and because of his age, he isn't draft-eligible until 2027 — meaning a top-three returning edge talent is locked in for a defining junior year, paired with the return of quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The forward stakes are an All-America, double-digit-sack season: the tools and the early production already make him one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the sport.
How he plays
Stewart is a bend-and-burst edge rusher — the modern speed-rush archetype. The trait that pops on tape and in the numbers is the corner: explosive get-off and the flexibility to flatten to the quarterback, which is how a player produces 11 sacks this early. The six forced fumbles add the finishing element — he doesn't just get there, he rips the ball out. At 6-5, 245 he's still filling out, which is the exciting part: the speed rush is already elite, and the power and counters that come with a stronger frame would make him complete. He's a quarterback's nightmare off the edge with a runway most stars don't get.
The story
Stewart announced himself as a unanimous Freshman All-American and just kept coming: 56 tackles, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles across his first 24 games, the production of an edge rusher who's both fast off the ball and disruptive once he arrives. At 6-5, 245, he pairs explosive bend with a knack for the strip. He's officially back, and because of his age, he isn't draft-eligible until 2027 -- meaning a top-three returning edge talent is locked in for a defining junior year, paired with the return of quarterback LaNorris Sellers. The forward stakes are an All-America, double-digit-sack season: the tools and the early production already make him one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the sport.
Career Arc
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Shane Beamer
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | South Carolina | 31 | 18 | 11.5 | 4.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | South Carolina | 23 | 17 | 10.5 | 6.5 | 1 | -- | -- |
| Career | 54 | 35 | 22.0 | 10.5 | 3 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2025
W 38–10
vs South Carolina State
2 TFL · 1 SACKS · 3 SOLO
Dominant 28-point win at home against South Carolina State.
How he plays
Play style
Stewart is a bend-and-burst edge rusher -- the modern speed-rush archetype. The trait that pops on tape and in the numbers is the corner: explosive get-off and the flexibility to flatten to the quarterback, which is how a player produces 11 sacks this early. The six forced fumbles add the finishing element -- he doesn't just get there, he rips the ball out. At 6-5, 245 he's still filling out, which is the exciting part: the speed rush is already elite, and the power and counters that come with a stronger frame would make him complete. He's a quarterback's nightmare off the edge with a runway most stars don't get.
Our classifier reads him the same way: fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
2026 Outlook
South Carolina
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · South Carolina
Returning around him
- 3 South Carolina players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: +1 net (25 in / 24 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
South Carolina · Last season: 4-8 (AP #11) · Talent rank #18 · 2026 recruiting class #14
Perception vs tape
Stewart announced himself as a unanimous Freshman All-American and just kept coming: 56 tackles, 11 sacks and six forced fumbles across his first 24 games, the production of an edge rusher who's both fast off the ball and disruptive once he arrives. At 6-5, 245, he pairs explosive bend with a knack for the strip.
Read the story →DNA match
Player DNA
Thumper
Downhill striker who fills the run lane and blitzes off the edge.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Cam'Ron Stewart’s 2025 season.
Differs from Cam'Ron on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Nik Bonitto's sophomore season at Oklahoma (2021).
Matches Nik on
Differs from Nik on