South Carolina star earns preseason All-American honor
Recently, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released a preseason All-American team, and South Carolina star Dylan Stewart made the cut. The rising sophomore EDGE has been one of the most-hyped players in the country during the offseason (along with quarterback LaNorris Sellers), and most expect a big year from the future NFL Draft first-round pick.
According to PFF, Stewart and Texas Longhorns pass rusher Colin Simmons will be the top two EDGE players in college football next season. There’s not a second team on PFF’s preseason All-American squad. That means that only Stewart and Simmons earned the honor as EDGEs. The duo earned several 2024 National Freshman of the Year awards (as did Sellers, though he was a redshirt freshman).
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Despite being a true freshman, Stewart earned a 91.4 pass rush grade from the outlet. That was good for sixth among all EDGEs nationally. He also routinely faced two and three blockers at a time. Stewart’s excellence on one side helped propel his defensive end running mate Kyle Kennard to the Nagurski Trophy as the top defensive player in the sport.
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Even with Kennard gobbling up a lot of the stats, Stewart still logged 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss. He also registered several forced fumbles and was among the national leaders in quarterback pressures. Stewart was responsible for causing an errant throw in the final minute against the rival Clemson Tigers, resulting in Demetrius Knight’s game-sealing interception. He also had a clutch forced fumble against the Old Dominion Monarchs in the season opener.
South Carolina will face off against eight PFF preseason All-Americans during the 2025 campaign. Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and wide receiver Ryan Williams, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik and defensive lineman Peter Woods, Texas A&M offensive lineman Ar’maj Reed-Adams and linebacker Taurean York, Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers, and Missouri offensive lineman Cayden Green all made the team. The Gamecocks played against all eight of those players last season, too. USC went 4-1 in those games.
