Freshman edge rusher Dylan Stewart has been a revelation for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
A former five-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 1 EDGE in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports Composite, Stewart has 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery through seven games of his freshman season.
That’s elite production for a young player. The only issue for South Carolina is that in the NIL and transfer portal era, it’s now going to have to pay to make sure that Stewart doesn’t get poached.
According to The State, a deal is being worked on between Stewart’s representation and South Carolina’s NIL collective, The Garnet Trust, to get the young EDGE paid. Sources have told On3 that whatever Stewart makes in NIL should be around $1M to $1.5M, and this would be just for his second year of college football action.
“The Garnet Trust and Equity are still working through how the agreement will be paid out, with revenue sharing set to begin July 1, 2025. Schools will be allowed to share $20.5 million annually with athletes,” On3 writes.
If this is how it truly goes down, Stewart will likely be the highest-paid player on South Carolina’s 2025 roster. This also wouldn’t include any other NIL deals that come his way.
