It was a roller coaster of a season for head coach Shane Beamer and the South Carolina football program, who defeated Clemson in thrilling fashion on the last day of the regular season but still found themselves snubbed from the college football playoff when the final rankings were revealed on Sunday. Instead, South Carolina will be participating in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois to try to cap off what was a good season on a strong note.

Now is one of the busiest times of the year in college football, as players all across the country set their sights on greener pastures via the transfer portal or try to lock up lucrative agreements with their current programs. Recently, South Carolina made a huge move by agreeing to a new NIL deal with star freshman EDGE Dylan Stewart that is reportedly worth between $1-1.5 million, per Pete Nakos of On3 Sports on X.

Stewart was impressive as a true freshman for the Gamecocks this year, recording 20 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles.

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Stewart was a member of a much improved South Carolina defense that was among the better units in the country this season, particularly down the stretch in the huge road victory over Clemson.

Overall, South Carolina football finished the year at 9-3, with impressive wins over Clemson and Missouri, among others. Ultimately, it was a blowout loss vs Ole Miss at home, as well as a narrow road loss at the hands of Alabama, that likely caused them to miss out on their first potential berth in the College Football Playoff.

In any case, the Gamecocks will look to close out their season on a high note in the Citrus Bowl against Illinois on December 31 from Orlando, Florida. That game is slated to kick off at 3:00 PM ET.