TLDR: South Carolina's two biggest injury question marks are trending toward the field for Saturday's showdown with Mississippi State.
South Carolina dropped its Thursday injury report and the headline is exactly what Gamecocks fans have been waiting six weeks to see: star EDGE Dylan Stewart and offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak are both listed as probable for Saturday's SEC opener against Mississippi State. Neither has taken a snap this season.
Chris Vannini@ChrisVanniniSouth Carolina lists DE Dylan Stewart and OT Jacarrius Peak as "probable" for Saturday vs. Mississippi State. Neither has played yet this season.
That's not a small footnote. Stewart isn't just any pass rusher — he was the No. 1 overall EDGE in the 2024 recruiting class, and as a true freshman he racked up 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks on his way to unanimous Freshman All-American honors, finishing just 1.5 sacks off Jadeveon Clowney's South Carolina freshman sack record (research). He's dealt with a back injury that's actually lingered since midway through last season, and he entered 2026 on the Walter Camp Preseason All-America first team without having played a down yet this year.
Peak's absence has been just as costly on the other side of the ball. The NC State transfer started 32 of 38 games for the Wolfpack and logged over 2,200 snaps up front before a knee injury he suffered at a team bonding basketball game back in February set him back. Getting a proven veteran tackle like that back into the trenches matters a ton for a South Carolina offensive line trying to protect its quarterback in conference play.
Pete Thamel@PeteThamelGood news for South Carolina, with star DE Dylan Stewart and OL Jacarrius Peak probable and trending toward returning against Mississippi State.
Both players have been trending in the right direction for a bit now — head coach Shane Beamer has said all week they were pushing to be ready — but "probable" is the clearest signal yet that South Carolina expects to have its full arsenal for the first real test of the season.
The stakes match the timing. South Carolina and Mississippi State both roll in 2-0, with the Gamecocks coming off a 45-9 win over Towson and the Bulldogs fresh off a 38-13 road win at Minnesota. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network, and it's the first conference game of the year for both sides — exactly the kind of matchup where getting a five-star pass rusher and a 30-plus game starter at tackle back on the field could swing things.
Pete Nakos@PeteNakosSouth Carolina has listed Dylan Stewart and Jacarrius Peak as probable ahead of Saturday's SEC opener against Mississippi State. Big news for the Gamecocks. t.co/YPnkZYRVVU
Nothing is locked in yet — "probable" leaves the door open for a late scratch — but for a defense that's had to scheme around missing its best player and an offense that's been shorthanded up front, just having both names trending toward active is the best injury news South Carolina has gotten all year.
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