Gage Skidmore – Wikimedia Commons California Governor and podcast personality Gavin Newsom has continued his right-wing media tour, feeding into the anti-trans hysteria with his signature coiffure and million-dollar smile. Earlier this year, the Governor said he “completely aligns” with some of the gender politics of far-right extremist Charlie Kirk and faced widespread backlash from […]
California Governor and podcast personality Gavin Newsom has continued his right-wing media tour, feeding into the anti-trans hysteria with his signature coiffure and million-dollar smile.
Earlier this year, the Governor said he “completely aligns” with some of the gender politics of far-right extremist Charlie Kirk and faced widespread backlash from constituents.
Nonetheless, he appeared to double down on the sentiment and then some this week on the Shawn Ryan Show podcast. The whopping four-hour conversation (which was not exclusively about LGBT issues) started by questioning the participation of trans athletes in women’s sports, cascaded into sowing doubt about evidence-based gender affirming care, and landed on fake news about schools providing litterboxes to kids who say they’re animals.
Newsom emphasized that he thinks conservatives are exploiting and weaponizing rhetoric about trans kids—but that hasn’t stopped him from feeding into it. Intentionally or not, Newsom has lent his Democratic branding and credibility to entertain the musings of anti-trans actors. Meanwhile, the far right has openly admitted to manufacturing a crisis around trans athletes to serve as a “beginning point” and get “opponents of the LGBT movement comfortable with talking about transgender issues,” as per Terry Schilling of the American Principles Project.
On this latest podcast, the meandering conversation started on America’s so-called “masculinity crisis”—a reference to real problems facing boys and men, such as higher rates of suicide and social isolation, or a nod to conservative pearl-clutching about the perceived “feminization” of American boys, depending on who you ask.
“Most of these kids, many of them [are] not even having any relations, sexual relations, with other women,” Newsom said.
The conversation went from lamenting how American youth don’t have enough sex, to hand-wringing about whether the LGBT rights movement may be pushing “sexuality” onto kids.
“Speaking of sexuality and divisiveness,” Ryan said, “One of the things in the last administration that really divided people was gender affirming care, LGBTQ [sic].” They incorrectly equated sexual orientation and gender identity, leading to a conversation about what Newsom called “the trans issue.”
“That’s now no longer about celebrating your rights. It’s about denying other people theirs,” Newsom said. “Marriage equality was about everyone’s right […] But your child may not have that same opportunity to get on the podium if a trans athlete is competing.”
Science shows no one biological attribute, including sex, fundamentally determines one’s athletic success. For every Lia Thomas or AB Hernandez winning medals, there are countless other trans athletes across the country whose names are unknown; athletes who are average or below average. Like all people, trans athletes’ abilities vary greatly. But athletes at all ages and ranks are being attacked by anti-trans activists in the name of sport, from gold-medal Olympians to children playing Little League.
Newsom’s rhetoric also falsely implies that the rights of trans women and girls are innately in competition with those of presumed-cis people. In reality, anti-trans vitriol routinely leads to violence against everyone; it fuels witch hunts against athletes even accused of being trans, such as the case with Imane Khelif. It has resulted in death threats, anti-trans harassment and doxxing campaigns against countless young girls, both cis and trans.
After one such case in Newsom’s own state, where the young athlete AB Hernandez overcame literal angry mobs over her participation in youth sports, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) amended its rules for a so-called “compromise,” giving a consolation spot to any presumed-cis girl who lost to a presumed-trans one.
Newsom said CIF’s rule change is “not the answer.” It’s not wholly clear what he thinks the answer is, but appeasement was never a winning play; even as Newsom broke the Democratic Party line to question trans inclusion, the Trump Administration sued the state, claiming that the “compromise” was too affirming of trans people. The Trump Administration has been clear that nothing less than the complete erasure of trans youth and life will satiate them.
Naturally, Ryan’s line of questioning didn’t stop with sports, either. He suddenly turned to the idea of trans kids in general. “Is eight years old too young?”
“The trans issue for me is so novel,” Newsom said. “I’m trying to understand as much as anyone else the whole ‘pronoun’ thing.”
Newsom added that “gender-affirming care for children” is a “tough” topic—that while some constituents have told him that it “saved [their] child’s life,” he’s also read reports like the one “the UK just came out with,” a likely reference to the widely-rebuked and highly-propagandized “Cass Review.”
Newsom did not weigh in on the common use of GAC for cis children. Gender-affirming hormone treatment is never given to young children except in cases of precocious puberty, where it is the standard protocol for anyone regardless of their gender identity. Gender-affirming surgery is also never performed on trans children this young, but unnecessary genital surgery on intersex youth often is.
Then Ryan and Newsom agreed that human brains are not “fully developed” until age 26—the number anti-trans activists often cite in policy proposals to eradicate evidence-based health care for trans youth. There are no major, reputable medical organizations that endorse this policy, and no states have adopted it into law, but Puerto Rico is considering a GAC ban to the age of 21 years old.
Finally, and perhaps most disturbingly, Ryan compared trans kids to “furbies” who are “showing up to school in a kennel” and using litter boxes. He might mean “furries,” an internet subculture where people dress up in colorful animal costumes, which is often falsely, and pejoratively, conflated with transness. “Furbies” are a popular singing-owl toy from the early aughts.
Either way, these claims are false. And Newsom dismisses it—but not fully. “That’s been overhyped,” he said. “There have been a few instances of that.” (There have not.) “Most of that is bullshit, but if that’s occurred, that’s ridiculous.”
A spokesperson from Newsom’s office told Erin in the Morning afterwards: “We believe Shawn was referencing a widely reported child abuse case involving a Memphis mother who placed children in dog kennels in the back of her car. To be clear, the Governor does not subscribe to the repeatedly debunked and baseless right-wing conspiracy theories mentioned elsewhere in the podcast.”
Meanwhile, Newsom continues to self-identify as a “champion” for LGBT rights, even as LGBT organizations have condemned his anti-trans pivot. Reports have also emerged that he was trying to kill LGBT protection bills behind the scenes throughout the last year or so.
“I’m more open-minded than I’ve ever been,” Newsom says of anti-trans sentiments. “I think the sports issue really opened that door for me, the nuances in the space.”
Mississippi State head volleyball coach Julie Darty Dennis speaks to the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday. Danny P. Smith For the first time, there will be an SEC championship tournament taking place that will give a taste of postseason to the participants. All SEC teams will attend the event that take place in Savannah, Georgia, […]
For the first time, there will be an SEC championship tournament taking place that will give a taste of postseason to the participants.
All SEC teams will attend the event that take place in Savannah, Georgia, in November.
Mississippi State head coach Julie Darty Dennis spoke to the Starkville Rotary Club on Monday and was excited about the addition to the schedule for the SEC.
For more on this story, read our news edition from Tuesday, August 12 or click here to subscribe to our e-edition.
Ever since she started taking lessons at four years old, Marian Jimenez knew that swimming was her sport. Each kick and stroke rolled stress off of her with the water, her mind focused and free. She joined the swim team her freshman year at Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School in Chicago. But, […]
Ever since she started taking lessons at four years old, Marian Jimenez knew that swimming was her sport. Each kick and stroke rolled stress off of her with the water, her mind focused and free.
She joined the swim team her freshman year at Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School in Chicago. But, as time passed she struggled to balance school, family responsibilities and early morning practices. Without reliable transportation or extra money for bus fare, she often missed practice – and felt her coaches didn’t care why.
Courtesy of Marian Jimenez
Marian Jimenez
“They don’t really take me seriously,” Marian said. “I try to talk to them … and they just tell me to walk it off or swim it off. And that upset me so much.
It seems like they don’t understand that these students have their own individual lives.”
Her beloved sport became a source of stress, and eventually, despite the 17-year-old’s immense love of swimming, the pressure to do well and prioritize the sport over her well-being caused her to feel burnt out and consider quitting.
Marian’s experience is not uncommon. Nearly 1 in 10 youth athletes report burnout, and 70% quit organized sports by age 13, according to a 2024 report by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In a Youthcast Media Group survey of 85 students in high schools across the country, more than half said they joined a sport to “have fun or reduce stress,” and of the 49 students who had quit a sport, 45% said it was because the sport became too competitive and was no longer fun.
Youth in the survey called for less expensive, less competitive, lower-stakes options for sports participation, decrying the pressure and elitism that excludes too many young people.
“I think one of the biggest issues with youth sports is that it’s very competitive,” said Jeffry Pabon, national program manager for Volo Kids Foundation, a non-profit focused on providing free, accessible, play-based sports for kids ages 5-13. “If you’re not winning first place, you’re nothing. If you’re not making the NBA, then why are you playing sports?”
Courtesy of Jeffry Pabon
Jeffry Pabon
Pabon said that competitive pressure, especially from adults, drives many kids away, especially those with less experience. In fact, a 2015 Aspen Institute survey found that the biggest reason sports stopped being fun was “winning” being over-emphasized.
Sonia Rojas-Pederzini, a junior at Brooklyn Technical High School in New York, started soccer at age four. In elementary school her parents considered putting her on a “more serious” soccer team than the recreational league she started in.
“But those traveling teams are very expensive and require a lot of parental commitment,” she said. “And both my parents were working full-time jobs, so that really kind of hindered them from putting me or my brother into a more active team that could help us in the future.”
If you don’t join those elite teams by the time you hit high school, she said, a lot of teens are too intimidated to join a team.
“You’re not on the same level as your peers,” she said. “You feel like you’re not good enough.”
It’s not just pressure to win that keeps kids out of sports – cost is another major barrier. In 2024, the average family spent over $1,000 per child on their main sport, a 46% increase over five years, according to the Aspen Institute.
Alisson Ochoa-Lopez, 16, a sophomore at Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia, wanted to join a club volleyball team this year but her parents initially hesitated to let her play due to the price, she said. She joined the team after receiving about $750 in financial support from her club.
Courtesy of Eleana Fanaika
Eleana Fanaika
“If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have played,” she said.
Some fees for club and travel teams can be even higher than Alisson’s volleyball team. “We’re talking about an average registration fee for a rec team being about $125 and a club or elite program starting around $2,000,” said Eleana Fanaika, the executive director of Every Kids Sports, a non-profit that pays sports registration fees for low-income families.
“It’s creating a bigger and bigger deficit for those who can and those who can’t afford [to play],” Fanaika said.
Access varies widely by income. CDC data from 2020 showed only 31% of children living under the federal poverty level played sports, compared to over 70% of those in high-income families.
Elitism creates geographic barriers as well. Pabon, who is based in Boston, says organized youth sports are often set up in areas that are seen as better neighborhoods, forcing lower-income families to travel farther–sometimes an hour or more on public transportation–and spend more time and money for their kids to participate.
For youth and their families who have managed to overcome financial or geographical barriers, hitting a cultural barrier of playing to win, rather than for fun or love of the game, can be the final straw.
Courtesy of Chris Knoester
Chris Knoester
“When people are dropping out at such high levels…that suggests that we have some problems in terms of ‘play for all’ and ‘playing for life,’” said Chris Knoester, a sociology professor at Ohio State University whose research focuses on sport.
Kids who quit sports, or are too intimidated to even try out, miss out on a lot, experts say, including social connection, confidence building, and stress relief.
“You’re not getting the fun out of it, the joy out of it, you’re not learning the team skills that come with it,” said Pabon. “You’re really just focused on this one concept, which is winning, and it really hurts your mental health all around.”
Of course there are physical benefits to sports participation, too. Things like building muscle, bone strength and endurance and reducing risk of chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes.
Courtesy of David Robinson
David Robinson
Being active can also improve academic outcomes, collaboration and socio-emotional skills including resilience, perseverance, goal-setting, taking responsibility and empathy, according to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition.
David Robinson, lead instructor at Lost Boyz Inc., a South Shore Chicago nonprofit that uses baseball to build community, says the emotional bonds built through sport are just as important. Both between peers, and with adult mentors and coaches. “You become family, you’re committed to a goal. And you support each other,” he said.
Marilyn Dixon, a Lost Boyz program participant who is now the resident director, agreed. “If the coach is a mentor, helping them out, it persuades the kids to come back. When I was a kid in the program, I used to love to come here. That was the best part of my week: just to come here and be with them.”
Pabon says it’s all these benefits that coaches and other adults can really lean on to help kids get the most out of playing, setting them up for longer term success in multiple ways. “It helps build a healthy, fun and safe community…those kids are going to grow up, and the hope is they’re going to help build their communities up”
The culture of sports can change from one focused on winning to low-cost access for all, camaraderie and fun, but it won’t be easy, says Knoester.
“It’s hard in a largely increasingly privatized, high stakes and expensive setting where people want to win, stand out, be successful, pursue professional dreams or college scholarship dreams, to encourage that culture,” Knoester said.
Courtesy of Ava Russchenberg
Ava Russchenberg
Ava Russchenberg, an 18-year-old cheerleader at Palatine High School in a suburb outside Chicago, has seen that cultural contrast at home, where her American mom emphasized performance, and her Dutch dad focused on encouragement.
Her mother pressures her to be competitive and says things like “you need to try hard and you need to do good,” Russchenberg said. Her father takes a gentler approach.
“My father is the one that is like, ‘You are amazing. You can do everything. I believe in you,’” Russchenberg said. “If I didn’t have that support from my dad, I don’t think I could have taken that pressure.” It’s the balance between the two, Russchenberg said, that allows her to participate in sport for the joy of it, but also excel and be proud of her achievements.
For Marian Jimenez, it was her parents’ willingness to support her — even if it meant quitting swimming — that made her decide not to abandon the sport she loved. In the end, despite the difficulties with coaches or transport or schedule, what makes it all worth it for her is the sport itself.
“Whenever I’m swimming, I just don’t think,” she said. “It really relieves everything that I held in my body… so I could finally be happy.”
***
Rossy Soto is a rising senior at Annandale High School in Annandale, Va. Grace Wang recently graduated from Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois and Amaya Manzano is a rising senior at Back of the Yards College Preparatory High School in Chicago. They were participants in a feature writing workshop with Youthcast Media Group and worked with mentor Hannah Gaber on this story. Lauren Wong contributed to this story.
[Related Grant Opportunity: Grants to create/renovate youth sports spaces in underserved communities]
INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. (WILX) – The Ingham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a case of embezzlement involving a Webberville-area woman who previously served as treasurer of the Webberville Junior Athletic Association. The woman is alleged to have embezzled more than $20,000 from the association between 2019 and 2025. As treasurer, she had access to the […]
INGHAM COUNTY, Mich. (WILX) – The Ingham County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a case of embezzlement involving a Webberville-area woman who previously served as treasurer of the Webberville Junior Athletic Association.
The woman is alleged to have embezzled more than $20,000 from the association between 2019 and 2025.
As treasurer, she had access to the association’s bank account to make purchases for the concession stand.
However, she is accused of using the funds for unauthorized personal expenses.
The case will be submitted to the Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Ingham County Detective Kelly Bowden at 517-676-8253.
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Listening in on a phone call between Tess Johns-Coffee and Thomas Coffee, you could hear the couple collaborating on new ideas for their sneaker store, Athletic Drip, planning out community events for young people in their area, or joking back-and-forth about who would beat the other in a one-on-one basketball game. “I would beat him, […]
Listening in on a phone call between Tess Johns-Coffee and Thomas Coffee, you could hear the couple collaborating on new ideas for their sneaker store, Athletic Drip, planning out community events for young people in their area, or joking back-and-forth about who would beat the other in a one-on-one basketball game.
“I would beat him, though,” Johns-Coffee said jokingly, followed by a slight laugh from her husband.
The two have known each other since their junior year, playing basketball for Abington High School. They had chemistry similar to the main stars in the classic early 2000s movie “Love & Basketball.” The irony is that the two never actually competed on the court.
Now, they may never have that chance.
The sounds of laughter over the three-way call were infectious. Except for the prerecorded message that said: “This is a call from Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution, Coal Township.”
Coffee has been in prison for 12 years as he serves a life sentence at SCI Coal Township in Northumberland County. With each passing day, the 35-year-old has reflected on his past and the first-degree murder conviction that landed him behind bars.
In 2013, Coffee shot and killed a South Jersey man during a robbery after offering to sell him an all-terrain vehicle on Craigslist. He was also convicted of three other armed robberies and sentenced to a consecutive 50 to 100 years in prison for those crimes.
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Although he finds himself in a cell, he said he wants to make an impact in his community and inspire youth to strive for a brighter future.
“After a few years of me sitting here and actually getting older, I started seeing kids coming here at 18,” Coffee said recently over the phone. “I started reading more stories in the newspaper and the daily news about this kid that’s 13, this kid that’s 14, this kid that’s 15, and they’re doing stuff that gang members do … it was a shock to me. But when I see them coming here, I’m talking to them, and they’re actually kids at heart. They just got into the wrong stuff. So, it bothers me to see that.”
One way the Coffees aid their community is by hosting an annual youth basketball tournament at Crestmont Park in Willow Grove. The event welcomes anyone 18 and under to compete in a tournament full of prizes and giveaways — featuring 50 pairs of sneakers, Samsung tablets, 10 bikes, 75 gift bags with Nike apparel inside, and a highly coveted prize designated for the tournament’s MVP.
Participants compete in challenges such as a five-on-five tournament, a three-on-three tournament, a three-point contest, and a skills challenge. Whoever earns the tournament MVP wins a trophy and becomes a brand ambassador for their sneaker store.
This year’s winner was 18-year-old Germantown native Nafis Dubose, who will be advertised as the face of Athletic Drip. The tournament serves as a way to get kids out of the city, even if it is just for a few hours.
“When you’re playing ball you’re not really around the negative stuff, right,” Coffee said. “So, I figure if we do a tournament, it’s a positive environment to take the kids out of the city and bring them out to the area where they don’t have to worry about getting shot. We came up with the prizes and trophies to show them that they can get rewarded through positive things too.”
While the prizes might be an attraction, they’re not the most essential part of the day. The Coffees invite leaders of different positions and backgrounds to speak to attendees and promote a better future for the youth in the community. They also act as mentors, to prevent kids from following the negative influences in their lives.
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At last year’s tournament, Philadelphia criminal defense attorney Teri Himebaugh discussed the challenges of representing children as young as 16 years old who are facing life sentences. Eric Reynolds, the father of NFL player and fellow Abington alum Craig Reynolds, also attended to discuss his other son, Eric, and his legal troubles.
“You never know who these kids are going to cling to,” Coffee said. “But a lot of them have different stories. This year, we have a lot of exonerees [speaking], because had these kids taken the wrong path, this is where they could have ended up. A lot of exonerees sit there for 10, 15, 20 years because they were in the wrong crowd.”
Alongside a number of exonerees who spoke at Saturday’s event, Celeste Trusty, the state legislative affairs director of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, also attended. And Coffee made an appearance through a video call from SCI Coal Township.
“The kids went wild when Thomas got on the phone and spoke to them,” Johns-Coffee said. “They all wanted to speak to him and get on the screen of the video visit. They were so happy to put a face to a name. All the parents were thankful and appreciative as well. It was a beautiful, heartfelt moment.”
Of course, booking the speakers, hosting the event, and managing the sneaker store doesn’t come easily, especially for someone who can’t leave the facility. That’s where Johns-Coffee comes in. Tess, 34, typically manages everything while Thomas acts as an adviser.
She not only manages the proceeds from their sneaker enterprise, but also the donations and sponsorships the duo receives from other local businesses to help produce the tournament.
“The end result is always a beautiful experience,” Johns-Coffee said. “The process is difficult because I’m trying to make his vision come true and sometimes I don’t understand it or we’re not on the same page. … It takes a lot longer of a process because I have to wait for a video visit or something for him to approve. But besides that, it’s a beautiful combination.”
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Coffee, a Philadelphia native, tries to help in the community in more ways than just one. He and his wife use their sneaker shop, Athletic Drip — located in Mount Carmel — as a community hangout spot to take kids off the streets.
“Not having and going without really pushes kids to do bad things,” Johns-Coffee said. “That’s why the shoe store was a big thing. So, it attracts the kids in and then he can kind of mentor them and share his story. Because when they don’t have the shoes, when they don’t have the clothes, when they don’t have the latest whatever it is, they get teased at school. When they don’t have the things they would like to have, it really has a major negative impact on these kids. So, he tries to fill those voids.”
Athletic Drip opened in March 2023, selling the latest sneakers from brands like Jordan, Yeezy and New Balance. Since its opening, the Coffees have hosted a number of community events, such as winter coat drives for children, and local clothing collections for fire victims. The store also includes a PlayStation 5 to offer kids a spot to hang out when they’re bored.
“There’s nothing really out there for the kids to do anymore,” Coffee said. “There’s not many programs or anything. So, I know they just fall into whatever they fall into and that’s always the bad stuff. So, if I invite them inside, they’re off the streets and they’re out of trouble.”
Although Coffee is spending life in prison, he said he looks forward to continuing to help his community. He has partnered up with Chop Mosley, a screenwriter, producer, and director from Philadelphia to create an acting studio in the Mount Carmel area, inspired by his 16-year-old daughter Zuri.
“This would be a source to get the youth involved in acting,” Coffee said. “Because when I came up, I didn’t think that was an option. We didn’t have those opportunities. So, I want to do that because that’s another area where kids don’t have enough confidence to try that stuff and we want to bring it here.”
“I feel like unless you’re in that world or exposed to it, you won’t know it’s available or accessible to you,” Johns-Coffee added. “There’s so many different opportunities in life. You don’t have to give up and think there’s nothing for you. Once you see it, you take it and run with it. But, if you’re not exposed to it, it’s kind of hard for these kids.”
Had Coffee had similar programs he’s offering to the community, he believes his path could have been different.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I think that if it was like that, a lot of people would choose that path of giving to the community.”
Greg Olsen is drawing up a new playbook in youth sports with his latest venture: Youth Inc., a media network and digital commerce platform that serves as a central location for youth athletes, parents and coaches. Youth Inc. stems from a video podcasts series by the same name hosted by the former NFL tight end […]
Greg Olsen is drawing up a new playbook in youth sports with his latest venture: Youth Inc., a media network and digital commerce platform that serves as a central location for youth athletes, parents and coaches.
Youth Inc. stems from a video podcasts series by the same name hosted by the former NFL tight end that was launched in 2022 by Audiorama Inc. — the production company started by Olsen, former fellow Carolina Panther Ryan Kalil, actor Vince Vaughn and Powerhouse Capital.
The youth brand was founded alongside former Fanatics executive Ryan Baise (who serves as CEO) and Tim Murphy (President of Media), a longtime Audacy and New York Times executive. In May 2024, Youth Inc. raised $4.5M in a funding round that was led by Will Ventures, Ryan Sports Ventures, Hello Sunshine co-founder Jim Toth, ISOS Ventures, Bills QB Josh Allen, Texans QB CJ Stroud and Ohio State football coach Ryan Day.
The New York Times in July reported that youth sports are a $40B industry with many looking to capitalize in this space.
“We’re trying to streamline a lot of processes that are going on and just consolidate that through our platform to make it a little easier … but also understand we have to keep the kids at the forefront of all of this,” said Olsen, who also balances his time as a middle school football coach at Charlotte Christian on top of his broadcasting duties with Fox.
Youth Inc has brought in native brands RCX Sports, Unrivaled Sports and Players Health as sponsors and are seeking to add more into their roster. Outside of the podcast, consumers have access to educational media content and editorial features.
A new component to the Youth Inc. machine is the e-commerce marketplace. Club teams and schools can sell themed merchandise from various apparel brands such as Columbia, Johnnie-O, Rhone and Wear by Erin Andrews. “Bringing some level of professional wisdom into this space can really be a good thing for the families, and that’s ultimately the most important thing,” Baise said.
A new season of the Youth Inc podcast debuts today with Tom Brady as a guest. Day, Stroud, U.S. swimmer Missy Franklin, Dodgers P Clayton Kershaw and St. Bonaventure men’s basketball GM Adrian Wojnarowski are among the list of future guests.
“We’ve added to our team over the last couple of months and a lot of people pulling in the same direction that are very talented [and] have a lot of expertise in their given field,” Olsen said. “If we can continue to kind of keep them together all moving towards this greater vision of Youth Inc., we think it has a chance to be pretty significant.”
Olsen and Baise sat with SBJ’s Xavier Hunter to discuss the youth sports venture’s growth since its launch and its new e-commerce feature.
University of South Carolina sophomore edge rusher Dylan Stewart has been named to 31st Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, the Maxwell Club announced today. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the best defensive player in college football. Stewart, a 6-5, 245-pounder from Washington, D.C. earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors last season after recording 10.5 […]
University of South Carolina sophomore edge rusher Dylan Stewart has been named to 31st Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List, the Maxwell Club announced today. The Bednarik Award is presented annually to the best defensive player in college football.
Stewart, a 6-5, 245-pounder from Washington, D.C. earned FWAA Freshman All-America honors last season after recording 10.5 tackles for loss including 6.5 sacks in his first season with the Garnet & Black. He was also a finalist for the Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year award and was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team in 2024. This season, Stewart has been named a preseason All-SEC first team selection by the media, is on the watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Bronko Nagurski Award and was named a first-team preseason All-American by The Sporting News.
Stewart was also named to the ESPN preseason All-America team today.
The Bednarik Award is named after Chuck Bednarik, a legendary two-way player for the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Eagles. The award recognizes defensive players who demonstrate exceptional skill, leadership, and impact on the game.
Stewart and the Gamecocks will open the 2025 season in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, August 31, when they face the Virginia Tech Hokies out of the ACC. Game time is set for 3 pm and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
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