Can LSU football pry star defender Dylan Stewart from South Carolina?

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LSU football and Lane Kiffin inched closer to hiring a defensive line coach on Friday. Per reports, the Tigers are expected to hire South Carolina's Sterling Lucas. Lucas replaces Kyle Williams, who is stepping away from football after going straight into coaching after a lengthy NFL career.

At South Carolina, Lucas worked with the defensive ends and outside linebackers. At LSU, he'll work with the interior defensive line.

Lucas projects to be the only new face on LSU's defensive coaching staff. The rest of the group will remain intact with Kiffin retaining defensive coordinator Blake Baker.

With news of Lucas joining the staff, Tiger fans immediately began to speculate about how the move would impact LSU recruiting — at the high school level and in the transfer portal. The name atop LSU fans' wishlist: South Carolina defensive end Dylan Stewart.

Stewart was a five-star recruit. All four major recruiting services ranked Stewart as a top-three EDGE in his class. Stewart made an immediate impact, breaking out as a true freshman in 2024. Stewart chose South Carolina over schools like Ohio State and Penn State. It's rare for South Carolina to pull a five-star from Washington, DC. But with Lucas as the primary recruiter and a strong NIL offer, the Gamecocks wooed Stewart to Columbia.

Does LSU have any shot of pulling Stewart from South Carolina?

All of this is speculation, but even with the addition of Lucas, getting Stewart to Baton Rouge would require a massive swing from LSU. Stewart is South Carolina's premier player and the Gamecocks already pay him a pretty penny. South Carolina would do whatever it takes to retain Stewart.

Stewart totaled 51 pressures as a freshman and 37 more in 2025. He's the rare defender who can change a game at any moment. Even for just a year of his services, it could cost LSU over 2 million. Maybe more.

While it's a long shot, if Stewart does consider his options, having Lucas on staff positions LSU to make a run at the star.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Can LSU football pry star defender Dylan Stewart from South Carolina?

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