South Carolina has quite a talented freshman class this season, as the Gamecocks are truly a young team, especially in certain positions. Their talent was noticed as two freshmen earned All-American honors from On3, as well as one freshman earning a big award for the entire defense.
Dylan Stewart has done a lot at South Carolina, and one of those things is making Shane Beamer look like a genius recruiter and coach. The freshman edge rusher had a breakout year in his first season in college football, and he was a big reason the Gamecocks had just a scary defense, especially in their late-season push
On3 didn’t just name Stewart as one of their All-Americans, but they gave him the Defensive True Freshman of the Year award. There is no question that Stewart earned this honor with his play this season, especially playing on a very seasoned defensive line.
Stewart finished the regular season with 20 total tackles, 15 solo tackles, one pass defended, 6.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles. For a freshman, those are stellar numbers, the best numbers out of freshman pass rushers in a long time. Stewart lined up opposite fifth-year senior Kyle Kennard and was the perfect one-two punch for the Gamecocks as they were constantly getting pressure on the outside.
The young pass rusher showed athleticism and an ability to disrupt a quarterback’s rhythm throughout the entire season as he lived in the backfield. Stewart had 48 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, which is 21 more than the next freshman pass rusher. Stewart truly became a star on the South Carolina defense this season and has a future in the NFL if he chooses that path.
The other South Carolina freshman to be named an On3 All-American was offensive lineman Josiah Thompson. Thompson was a five-star prospect coming out of high school as he was the No. 1 offensive tackle in the Class of 2024, according to On3. Thompson probably could have used a redshirt season, as most offensive linemen do, but his athletic ability and high-upside made him a great player on the O-line.
Thompson was able to secure a spot on the offensive line this season by putting on 30 to 35 pounds before the season started to be big enough to go up against upperclassmen pass rushers. Thompson was certainly thrown into the fire playing in the SEC as a freshman, but his ability to have elite pass protection for South Carolina’s star quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, is what makes the Gamecocks so excited for Thompson to be around for the next three to four years.
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