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South Carolina puts three in SEC top 25 rankings

by: Kevin Miller06/27/25kevinbmiller52
South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart celebrates during a game (Photo: CJ Driggers | GamecockCentral.com)
South Carolina EDGE Dylan Stewart celebrates during a game (Photo: CJ Driggers | GamecockCentral.com)

With still over a month left before fall camp begins for college football programs, the calendar is at the height of “list season.” Several players from the South Carolina football program have generated some offseason buzz as it pertains to their place within the Southeastern Conference hierarchy.

According to The Athletic writer Manny Navarro, South Carolina has three players in the top 25 in the SEC. Navarro included redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers, sophomore EDGE Dylan Stewart, and junior defensive back Jalon Kilogre on his list.

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Sure to please Gamecock fans (and bettors who have put money down on him as a top-10 Heisman Trophy candidate), Sellers slots in at No. 1. Said Navarro, “The 2024 SEC Freshman of the Year and third-team all-conference pick ranked 17th nationally in passing efficiency after throwing for 2534 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The former three-star recruit also ran for 674 yards and seven TDs. He enters the season with the sixth-best Heisman odds, according to BetMGM.” Sellers was the first All-SEC quarterback in South Carolina history and is a good bet to repeat in 2025.

Next up, perhaps lower than expected, Stewart ranked No. 8 in the SEC. Navarro explained, “The 6-5, 245-pound Washington, DC native finished fourth in the SEC with 51 quarterback pressures in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. He made 11 starts as a true freshman and finished with 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. The challenge for Stewart in 2025 is to continue dominating after the Gamecocks lost three NFL Draft picks along the defensive line–Kyle Kennard, Tonka Hemingway, and TJ Sanders.” Stewart has been all over top 10 national lists this summer, making his No. 8 spot feel a little low.

Rounding out the Gamecocks on Navarro’s SEC list was Kilgore, coming in at No. 17. Navarro wrote about the versatile defensive back, “Only two full-time starters are back on South Carolina’s vaunted defense. We already ranked the other, Stewart. Kilgore, a 6-1, 211-pound junior, tied for the SEC lead with five interceptions and added 10 pass breakups to go with 48 tackles last season.” While South Carolina actually returns four full-time defensive starters (Kilgore, Stewart, Judge Collier, and DQ Smith) next year, not two, Navarro’s high opinion on Kilgore echoes what NFL Draft analysts and scouts have been saying about the rising junior this offseason.

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