Freshman College Football Star Nearing 7-Figure NIL Deal After Historic Start

The South Carolina Gamecocks are doing what they can to ensure freshman Dylan Stewart returns to the program in 2025.

Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

One of the most exciting freshmen in college football is about to get paid big time.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are ensuring that star first-year edge rusher Dylan Stewart will remain with the program in Columbia for the 2025 season after preparing an NIL deal that is reported to be upwards of seven figures.

According to a report, The Garnet Trust, the NIL Collective of the university and South Carolina, are in discussions with Stewart’s team to secure a one-year deal so that he can return to the Gamecocks next season.

The Freshman pass rusher is currently on pace to break the freshman sack record of South Carolina legend and former first overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft by the Houston Texans Jadevon Clowney.  His 5.5 sacks currently put him in a realistic spot to catch Clowney’s eight sacks, which he picked up in 2011.

If the Gamecocks can secure Stewart for next season, and possibly beyond if he doesn’t declare for the NFL draft himself, the pass rusher will easily be the highest-paid player from a NIL valuation standpoint on the roster. 

Stewart is the sixth-highest-rated recruit to commit to South Carolina in the program's history. This past season, the team went to the portal and added from the freshman class to bolster its pass rush, a place on the Gamecocks' defense that needed a major upgrade from last season’s 5-7 finish. 

The pass rusher was recently in the spotlight for making a gun gesture during a celebration after one of his big defensive plays against the Ole Miss Rebels last month. Although his actions were taken care of “in-house,” according to head coach Shane Beamer, college football released a statement that it would be cracking down on eliminating those types of celebrations.

Stewart was recently named one of 14 semifinalists for the Maxwell Football Club’s Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award. In its seventh year of the award, the Gamecock defensive star would be the fourth player from the SEC to win it.

Although Stewart is only eight games into his college career, his performance on the field certainly has warranted South Carolina to push for a new agreement to make sure he remains with the program. Just last week, in the Gamecock upset victory over tenth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, Stewart recorded nine pressures against their SEC rivals. To put that in perspective, only three other true freshmen across all of college football have nine pressures on the entire season. 

The team is set to travel to Nashville this weekend to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. They look to pick up their sixth win and return to bowl season for the first time since 2022.