South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart called "most fearsome pass rusher in America"
South Carolina football’s 2025 defense has a lot to replace after eleven players from last year’s team spent time in NFL training camps this spring. There still is a lot of talent on defensive coordinator Clayton White’s unit, but the Gamecocks have several questions to answer on that side of the football before the season begins. One known quantity in Columbia, though, is rising sophomore EDGE Dylan Stewart.
The former 5-star prospect had a big freshman campaign opposite Nagurski Trophy winner Kyle Kennard, no doubt helping his teammate reach his tremendous achievement. Stewart was significantly more impactful than his stats indicated. This week, on the “PFF College Football Show”, Pro Football Focus analysts Max Chadwick and Dalton Wasserman spoke highly of Stewart while breaking down Chadwick’s ranking of the top EDGE defenders in the country.
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According to Chadwick’s list, Stewart is the No. 2 overall EDGE player in college football. The PFF analyst said, “He’s the freakiest athlete at EDGE rusher that South Carolina has had since Jadeveon Clowney.”
Stewart is so good that Chadwick felt he had to offer an explanation for why he isn’t No. 1 on the list. “The one thing that holds him back right now: gotta get a little stronger in the run game,” he explained. However, if the list was just about getting after the quarterback, Chadwick knows who belongs at the top. “There is no denying that [Stewart] is the most fearsome pass rusher in America right now,” he said.
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During his true freshman season, Stewart already was one of the best players in the country. He posted a 91.4 pass rush grade, which was tied for sixth among all EDGEs in the country. He also tied for second nationally among returners with 51 total quarterback pressures.
Wasserman described Stewart’s ability as “not even fair” and called him an “elite, elite prospect.” Both analysts claimed he has a chance at earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. They also said Stewart is the highest upside defensive end in college football this season.
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Though the PFF discussion centered around EDGE players, Chadwick and Wasserman showed a couple of other Gamecocks some love, too. Said Chadwick, “Honestly, South Carolina might have the freakiest athletes in the country, right?. They have LaNorris Sellers at quarterback, who has maybe the best physical tools of any quarterback in America. Nyck Harbor is probably the freakiest athlete overall in college football at wide receiver. Then, Dylan Stewart, obviously, is the freakiest EDGE rusher in college football.”
