When he threw a punch at Alabama tight end Josh Ford late in a lopsided Week 4 game on Saturday, Sept. 26, South Carolina star Dylan Stewart surprisingly wasn’t ejected from the contest.
The following day, though, he was subjected to a more severe punishment.
Stewart, the Gamecocks’ All-SEC edge rusher, has been suspended indefinitely and will miss the team’s Week 5 game against Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 3, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer announced on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Beamer added that a decision about Stewart’s future beyond the Kentucky game will be made “soon.”
After a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Daniel Hill extended Alabama’s lead over South Carolina to 42-18 late
in the fourth quarter of the Crimson Tide’s 49-18 victory, Stewart punched Ford in the helmet in the end zone.
#Gamecock edge Dylan Stewart threw a punch... Announcers can't believe he wasn't ejected pic.twitter.com/etyc3i6tUj
— Chaz R Frazier (@Chazf_tv) September 27, 2026
The 6-foot-5 junior was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, but wasn’t ejected. ESPN rules analyst Jerry McGinn said on the broadcast that Stewart should have been ejected, adding that it was "not even a question."
"I didn't see (the play) until just now, and that's unacceptable," Beamer said after the game. "That's not how we do things around here and I'm embarrassed to see that because that's not what we're about."
Stewart racked up 11 sacks in his first two college seasons and earned second-team All-SEC recognition after an injury-shortened sophomore season in 2025. The loss to Alabama was his second game of the season after he missed South Carolina's first two contests due to a back injury he sustained last season.
Stewart’s suspension came after the Gamecocks have lost back-to-back games to drop them to 2-2 on the season. Two of their next three games will be against teams ranked in the top 20 of the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, No. 8 Florida and No. 17 Tennessee.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: South Carolina suspends star DE Dylan Stewart after throwing punch vs Alabama
