Will South Carolina edge Dylan Stewart need surgery? What Shane Beamer said
South Carolina edge Dylan Stewart missed all 15 of the Gamecocks’ spring practices as he recovers from a nagging back injury that dates to 2025.
Last season, Stewart missed most of the Oklahoma game in October with a hip flexor injury and, a few weeks later, suffered a back injury.
Still Stewart kept playing, racking up sacks against both Ole Miss and Texas A&M. But the back injury got worse and forced him to miss some time. He was sidelined for the Gamecocks’ penultimate game against Coastal Carolina and, though he started in the finale against Clemson, missed most of the second half.
After the season, Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer said Stewart was still trying to play despite “basically (having) a broken back.”
Knowing that, it wasn’t a shock that Stewart didn’t suit up during South Carolina’s spring practices. Stewart has been very limited over the past few months and, when spotted at one of the Gamecocks’ spring practices, was often wearing street clothes.
Beamer was adamant that the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Stewart is doing exactly what the Gamecocks are asking from him. After visiting with doctors and specialists, Beamer said a few weeks ago, “the best thing for him right now from a physical standpoint is to literally do nothing and just let everything rest.”
At the conclusion of South Carolina’s 15 spring practices, Beamer reiterated that Stewart’s recovery plan has not changed.
“He just needs to rest,” Beamer said Tuesday. “It’s not like we send him to a doctor, he makes a couple of adjustments, and he’s good to go. … The thing for him is just resting and getting well to be able to do the things he needs to do at the end of May.”
Naturally, the longer Stewart isn’t on the field, the more Gamecocks fans begin to worry. Because, well, one could argue Stewart is the most talented player on South Carolina’s roster, capable of being the first defensive player taken in the 2027 NFL Draft.
During his first two seasons with the Gamecocks, the Washington, D.C., native has racked up 56 tackles, 11 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss and six sacks — all while often taking on double teams that help free up his teammates.
The fear, of course, is that Stewart would require surgery. While not ruling it out, Beamer hoped they didn’t have to go down that path.
“Those things were discussed going back to the last season in January,” Beamer said of surgery, “and (we) feel like with Dylan and our medical team that we’re where we need to be, and he’s where he needs to be, and we’re on the home stretch of being able to get well. Get healthy.”
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Will South Carolina edge Dylan Stewart need surgery? What Shane Beamer said."
