South Carolina football has been one of the biggest disappointments of the college football season so far, and things just keep going from bad to worse for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. During a Week 4 blowout loss against Alabama, star pass rusher Dylan Stewart threw a punch at an Alabama player after a Crimson Tide touchdown.
While the officials on the field didn't see the punch and were not able to punish Stewart, Beamer took matters into his own hands. The junior was suspended from the team indefinitely and did not play in Saturday's 35-34 overtime loss to Kentucky.
On Monday, Beamer gave an update on Stewart's suspension, via Pete Nakos of On3 Sports.
“No update,” Beamer said. “I’ve met with Dylan pretty much every day last week. Visited with Dylan today. We’ll keep those conversations between us, but no update.”
Article Continues BelowWhether Stewart rejoins the team at all remains to be seen, and there has been plenty of speculation that he may not be back at all. He is currently projected as a top 10 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and while incidents like this one might hurt his draft stock a little bit, there is no denying that he has elite talent that NFL teams will be lining up to take a chance on.
On the South Carolina side, bringing Stewart back might just be too much baggage for where this season is headed. The Gamecocks are currently sitting at 2-3 on the season and have already lost three games in a row in SEC play, so it looks like it's only going downhill in Columbia. Beamer is on the hot seat and is likely to be fired at the end of the season, if not before then.
On top of that, South Carolina's schedule doesn't suggest better times are coming anytime soon. The Gamecocks travel to Gainesville for a date with No. 16 Florida on Saturday, and they follow that up with a home date with No. 15 Tennessee. Georgia also awaits later in the season, so bringing Stewart back may not be worth it at all.