South Carolina star EDGE will be out against Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats will get a huge boost on Saturday as they'll face the South Carolina Gamecocks , who will be short one of their best defensive players.

That stud is Dylan Stewart, who is among the best defensive ends in the conference. Stewart is a 6-foot-6 EDGE rusher, who had 12 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks a season ago. The junior is expected to be one of the top defensive players in the 2027 NFL Draft. The Cats were going to be a heavy favorite anyway, now ranked as the 24th-best team in the country via the AP Poll.

Why is Stewart going to miss time? Well, on a play with multiple flags, he threw a punch against Alabama, a game that got out of control early with the Crimson Tide destroying South Carolina. Alabama ended up winning 49-18 and took a 35-10 lead into the half. While there's no excuse, emotions were undoubtedly high.

"I saw the play that he got the penalty on. I didn't see it until just now, and that's unacceptable. That's not how we do things around here. I'm embarrassed to see that because that's not what we're about. Didn't see it during the game. I knew we had a penalty. I didn't know what happened. We've got a lot of fiery, emotional, competitive guys, and I love that. When you're in the arena, emotions are high," South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer said following the game via Kentucky Sports Radio's Jack Pilgrim .

Stewart should still be a top pick in next year's draft. He has the frame to be a monster at the NFL level and has had double-digit tackles for loss in two straight seasons. The talent is undoubtedly there.

Thankfully for head coach Will Stein, that's one less problem he'll have to plan for Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4:15 p.m. ET and will be at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.