When it was first reported that Lane Kiffin was pursuing South Carolina's Sterling Lucas to be LSU's defensive line coach, Tiger fans were hopeful that Lucas could bring Dylan stewart with him. Stewart has emerged into one of the best pass-rushers in the country under Lucas' leadership, and would make for a great addition to Kiffin's first roster in Baton Rouge.
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However, the dream of seeing Stewart in the pruple and gold next season is officially dead. On Tuesday, On3 reported that Stewart will be returning to South Carolina next season.
NEW: South Carolina star EDGE Dylan Stewart announces he will return to the Gamecocks next season.https://t.co/ABQN6GV59X pic.twitter.com/q7uCRWsVpU
— On3 (@On3sports) December 23, 2025
Dylan Stewart returning to South Carolina is a major bummer for LSU fans
A former five-star recruit in the Rivals Industry Rankings, Stewart was rated the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 3 EDGE in the 2024 recruiting class. Still with two years of eligibility remaining, he has an extremely bright future ahead.
Last year as a true freshman, Stewart burst into the scene by recording 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks last. He followed that up with a strong sophomore campaign that saw him rack up 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2025. For his efforts, he earned Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC honors last season, and earned All-SEC honors this season. In his collegiate career, he's made 22 starts and appeared in 24 games while recording 56 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and six forced fumbles in two years with South Carolina.
Defensive coordinator Blake Baker was retained by Kiffin last month, and seeing Stewart utilize his elite skill set in Baker's defense would have been a treat for LSU fans. But the addition of Lucas as LSU's defensive line coach is a win. He's been with the Gamecocks for four seasons, serving as South Carolina's defensive ends/outside linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator this past season.
His Gamecock defense recorded 41 sacks last season, which was tied for the 10th-most in all of college football. In addition, Lucas has coached a pair of All-SEC EDGE players in each of the past two seasons. LSU fans are certainly hoping that trend continues as Lucas moves from Columbia to Baton Rouge.