The South Carolina Gamecocks are coming off a tough loss to Alabama on Saturday and will now turn their attention toward Kentucky next week. However, the program has made an important decision involving defensive end Dylan Stewart.
Shane Beamer suspends Stewart
Stewart has been suspended indefinitely following Saturday’s loss to Alabama.
Head coach Shane Beamer announced the decision Sunday, with 247Sports reporting that Stewart will miss the Week 5 matchup against Kentucky while the program determines his status beyond this week.
“I’ll make the decision on what his future looks like beyond this week here in the next day or so. Still having some meetings and talking with him, but he won’t play his week versus Kentucky. There’s a standard of how we do things in our program and that was not it last night,” Beamer said.
Why is Stewarts suspended?
The suspension follows several incidents involving Stewart during the Alabama game. The 21-year-old defensive end was involved in an altercation that saw him throw a punch at an Alabama player.
He also appeared to show frustration toward South Carolina’s coaching staff after being removed from the game. Video surfaced online capturing Stewart reluctant to leave the field after Julian Walker was sent in to replace him.
Beamer explains suspension decision
However, Beamer made clear that Stewart’s punch was not the only factor behind the suspension.
“It’s beyond the punch. The punch is unacceptable. He’s not the first person to ever throw a punch in the football game and he won’t be the last. But it’s some of the other stuff that isn’t how we do things in this program,” the South Carolina coach explained.
When Beamer was asked to elaborate on what he meant by “the other stuff,” he declined to provide further details. “That’s between us,” he replied.
The South Carolina coach acknowledged that emotions can run high during heated games, particularly between players and coaching staff. Still, he stressed that the program expects its players to follow its standards and that accountability applies regardless of a player’s status or previous accomplishments.
“And you know that you’re in a competitive hostile environment. … We’re going to hold guys accountable for things. That’s what we’re doing here. That’s what we do with all of our players,” Beamer added.
Stewart’s recent injury struggles
The suspension adds to a difficult stretch for Stewart, who enjoyed a breakout true freshman season in 2024. He recorded seven sacks and 51 total quarterback pressures that year, establishing himself as a potential top-10 NFL Draft prospect.
A back injury, however, restricted him throughout the 2025 campaign, although he still managed five sacks and 37 pressures.
The injury concerns carried into the 2026 season, with Stewart not making his debut until South Carolina’s Week 3 loss to Mississippi State. He was then benched during Saturday’s defeat against Alabama following the altercation and his disagreement with the coaching staff.
Despite appearing in only two games against SEC opponents, Stewart has already produced six pressures, including five hurries and one quarterback hit, across 26 pass-rushing snaps.