Dylan Stewart injury update: South Carolina star leaves game after hitting Kyron Drones

South Carolina star pass rusher Dylan Stewart was injured late in the first half of a game against Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon. He was injured during a two-minute drill for the Hokies.

Stewart made contact with Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones with his right shoulder. He immediately grabbed it and went down to the turf. Play paused momentarily while Stewart was tended to on the field.

He left the field and headed to the locker room a little early, just before Virginia Tech made a 56-yard field goal to end the half. That cut the South Carolina lead to 10-8 at the break. But Stewart’s potential absence looms large.

A 6-foot-5, 245-pound edge defender, Dylan Stewart made a name for himself immediately as a true freshman in 2024. He was named an honorable mention All-American by College Football Nation, while he earned 2024 Freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America.

Stewart was an absolute terror off the edge. He started 11 of 13 games and racked up 23 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks. He also forced three fumbles and recovered two more, while he posted one pass breakup and one pass defended.

He’s widely expected to be one of the top pass rushers in the country this fall, along with Texas second-year star Colin Simmons. On3 will provide further updates on Dylan Stewart’s status when they become available.

UPDATE, 5:10 p.m. ET: Dylan Stewart has returned to action at the beginning of the second half for South Carolina. He was in on several plays on the opening series of the half.

As for the game itself, things were a bit of a struggle for South Carolina in the first half. Coach Shane Beamer opened up on some of the issues in a halftime interview with ESPN’s Kris Budden.

“Up and down,” Beamer said. “Obviously had a great first drive to start the game and had a great last drive right there. In between that kind of sloppy. Just feel like guys trying to do too much. Everybody offensively just needs to settle down and do their job.”

All eyes will be on Dylan Stewart and his availability in the second half. But can quarterback LaNorris Sellers settle in and help the offense calm down a bit? That could be key.

Virginia Tech went into halftime with all the momentum after knocking through a 56-yard field goal to end the half. The Hokies will receive the opening kickoff in the second half.