South Carolina freshman officially named major award semifinalist
On Wednesday, South Carolina freshman Dylan Stewart officially made the semifinal list for the Shaun Alexander Award. Though the former 5-star’s inclusion was made official, Gamecock fans already knew Stewart was a favorite for the award.
As the honor given to the nation’s top freshman, the Alexander Award automatically includes weekly Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week recipients as semifinalists; Stewart has won the weekly honor twice, once against Old Dominion in the season opener and once this past weekend against Texas A&M.
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From the South Carolina Athletics press release:
University of South Carolina freshman Edge rusher Dylan Stewart is among the 14 semifinalists for the 7th annual Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award, the Maxwell Football Club announced today. The award is presented to the outstanding freshman player in college football.
For the fourth consecutive year, the award will be presented at the Maxwell Football Club Awards along with several of the other top awards in college and professional football.
Stewart, a 6-6, 248-pounder from Washington, D.C., has been a force all season long. He is a two-time Shaun Alexander Freshman Player of the Week honoree and was the SEC co-Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts in the season opener against Old Dominion. For the season, Stewart has logged 7.5 tackles for loss, including 5.5 sacks, tops among all FBS freshmen.
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The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award has been presented to the College Freshman Player of the Year since 2018 and is named in honor of Shaun Alexander, a former standout at the University of Alabama and with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. The award Past winners include Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) – 2018, Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis)-2019, Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama) – 2020, Brock Bowers (Georgia) – 2021, Drake Maye (North Carolina) – 2022 and Caleb Downs (Alabama/Ohio State) 2023.
The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award watch list will incorporate a broad spectrum of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs and conferences from coast to coast led by Minnesota with 2 candidates, and 12 schools represented by one candidate.
Semifinalists are listed below alphabetically by school.
Ryan Williams, Alabama Wide Receiver
Jordan Seaton, Colorado Offensive Line
KJ Bolden, Georgia Safety
Isaac Brown, Louisville Running Back
Koi Perich, Minnesota Safety
Kerry Brown, Minnesota Safety
Dylan Raiola, Nebraska Quarterback
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Wide Receiver
Anthony Donkoh, Penn State Offensive Line
Eli Holstein, Pittsburgh Quarterback
Dylan Stewart, South Carolina Edge
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee Quarterback
Colin Simmons, Texas Edge
Josiah Trotter, West Virginia Linebacker
Finalists for the 7h annual Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award will be December 4, 2024, and the winner of the award will be announced on December 26, 2024. The formal presentation of this award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards on Friday, March 14, 2025, at the College Football Hall of Fame.
