South Carolina suspended Dylan Stewart indefinitely after he punched Alabama tight end Josh Ford in Saturday’s 49-18 loss. He will miss the Oct. 3 game against No. 24 Kentucky; coach Shane Beamer plans to decide his future with the team within two days.
Stewart was flagged for a late hit on quarterback Keelon Russell, then punched Ford after the whistle following an Alabama touchdown that made it 42-18 in the fourth quarter. Officials called unsportsmanlike conduct but did not eject him. He later refused to leave the field, and the staff sent in Julian Walker. Beamer called the conduct unacceptable; Ford said he thought Stewart punched him three times.
Stewart was ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct in a 2025 loss to Vanderbilt after shoving right tackle Bryce Henderson, but the SEC cleared him to play the next week at Missouri. A back injury kept him out of offseason and fall camp this year; he debuted Sept. 19 against Mississippi State and came off the bench in both games he played, including Alabama.
