Dylan Stewart headlines USC edge rushers. Who’s next in line to help him?

South Carolina fans aren’t the only ones excited to see Dylan Stewart’s return to the field this fall.

New defensive ends coach Deion Barnes also can’t wait to see the preseason All-SEC selection return to practice. Barnes was hired by Shane Beamer in December from Penn State to come and coach the Gamecocks’ ends and edge rushers.

And Barnes has yet to see Stewart on the field.

The star edge rusher missed all the spring with a back injury he played through during last season. Rest, not surgery, was needed.

USC coach Shane Beamer gave no new updates on Stewart’s condition when he spoke Thursday at his annual Birdies with Beamer media golf event. At Southeastern Conference Media Days earlier in July, Beamer said Stewart was trending in the right direction to return to the field.

“He is champing at the bit himself. He wants to go out there and play football,” Barnes said.

The Gamecocks need Stewart, the former five-star prospect, to be at full strength in what will be an important season for his own future.

Stewart, a junior, should be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Jordan Reid ranks him as the top draft-eligible defensive end in this year’s class. In two seasons at USC, Stewart has 11 sacks.

Despite not being on the field, Beamer said Stewart is in a good frame of mind mentally. Barnes said he’s been doing the little things off the field to get ready for his return.

“He is just taking things day by day,” Barnes said. “… The kid has done a great job in the offseason. ‘OK, I can’t go but this where I could get better and be sharper at.’ He has been great the whole time.”

The former Dutch Fork High standout flipped his commitment from Michigan to the Gamecocks in December and has been on campus since January.

Walker was a force for the Silver Foxes’ defense and had three sacks and scored a defensive touchdown in Dutch Fork’s fourth-straight state championship victory in December. As a senior, he had 75 tackles (25 for loss), 14 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles.

The 6-foot-6, 255-pounder was a Top-100 national recruit and the country’s 10th-best edge rusher prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite that factors in all ratings.

Both Barnes and defensive coordinator Clayton White liked what they saw from Walker in the spring, and he’s in line to see some playing time as a freshman.

“Julian is a young kid who is hungry — the hunger has definitely shown. He doesn’t want to be outworked,” Barnes said. “The kid goes out there and gives his full effort on the field. He is long, strong and will make mistakes, but his mistakes are at full speed. Kid has done everything he could in his power to be a top guy and work himself into playing time. I have been happy with him.”

Assuming Stewart is back for USC’s opener against Kent State, a big question is: Who will start at the other defensive end spot?

Tennessee transfer Caleb Herring appears to be one of the contenders for that position.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Herring was the No. 1 recruit coming out of Tennessee in 2023 and played in 36 games over three seasons for the Vols. In 2025, he had his best season with 14 tackles (six for loss) and four sacks. Barnes said Herring has the toughness and efforts and the intangibles you can’t teach.

Other players in the mix are Walker, redshirt freshman Anthony Addison, George Wilson (who missed last year with an ACL injury), Arkansas State transfer Drew Collins and Jaquavious Dodd.

“Training camp is really going to tell. Spring ball, I like the guys that were out there participating,” Barnes said. “Training camp is going to tell. It is going to be an easy decision — whoever is the most consistent guy.”

Barnes said it’s too early to know how many players he wants to rotate in to play each game, saying he’s played as many as six one year at Penn State and as few as four.

This story was originally published August 2, 2026 at 8:00 AM with the headline “Dylan Stewart headlines USC edge rushers. Who’s next in line to help him?.”