South Carolina puts two on On3 True Freshman All-American squad; Dylan Stewart wins Defensive Player of the Year
South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer led his Gamecocks to a 9-3 regular season. Carolina just missed out on the College Football Playoff but is expected to play in a nice bowl game this winter.
In their four-game win improvement from last season (so far), the Gamecocks have gotten major contributions from returning players, new transfer portal additions, and even true freshmen.
On Friday, a pair of those true freshmen were named to On3’s True Freshman All-American squad. On offense, Josiah Thompson earned one of the offensive line spots. Meanwhile, on defense, On3 picked Dylan Stewart for one of their four defensive line honors. Stewart also was named the On3 Defensive True Freshman of the Year.
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The two youngsters’ positions on On3’s list shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Thompson started from day one at left tackle for USC. While there were some tough moments (every offensive lineman has tough moments against SEC defensive lines), the true freshman was more than solid this season and showed flashes of what made him On3’s top-rated offensive lineman in the class of 2024.
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Stewart has a case as the most impactful first-year player in college football. He finished the season top-10 nationally in quarterback pressures and logged 6.5 sacks. His impact began in his first collegiate game as he made a potentially game-saving play against Old Dominion, helping him win the first of two Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Week honors (the second coming against the Gamecocks’ win over No. 10 Texas A&M). Stewart is also a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
Coach Beamer and his South Carolina coaching staff are building toward a bright future in Columbia. Having two Freshman All-Americans makes that goal a lot easier.
