Tyler Stearns |
Jahkeem Stewart chose the USC Trojans on National Signing Day Thursday after a long recruitment. The Five Star defensive lineman reclassed from the 2026 class (where he was the number one overall player) to the 2025 class. His top four schools were USC, Oregon, LSU, and Ohio State. Alabama made a push earlier in the fall, but Stewart decided against the Tide. He took visits to all four schools and ended off in LA for USC versus Nebraska.
Stewart ultimately chose the Trojans for three reasons. It is ignorant to not discuss the NIL aspect of this recruitment, and high school recruiting in general. He is expected to make in the range of $2 million at USC but will benefit from the endless media endorsement opportunities that the city has to offer. His goal is to work in broadcasting and media after college, and there isn't a better spot to set yourself up for a career in those industries than at Southern Cal. The other reason for his decision was his family friend's relationship with DL Coach Eric Henderson. Clyde Alexander, Jahkeem's trainer and guardian, has known Henderson since high school at Edna Karr (Jahkeem's current high school). He helped the five-star develop a relationship with Aaron Donald's former coach, which seemed to work out for USC. Henderson sold him on the idea that he would start immediately, and would learn tools that would help him get to the next level. The third important factor in his recruitment was the program's trajectory. USC didn't have a good year, but this was their first season in the B1G, a significantly better conference than the PAC-12. USC found themselves in close games with every opponent this year and lost due to poor decision-making by Coach Riley. But USC likely shouldn't have been in close games with Minnesota and Maryland, because there was a massive talent disparity from an on-paper standpoint. But that wasn't the case. USC had size this past year, but not talent. The defensive line overperformed, even if they weren't a good group. But with Stewart coming in, he immediately gives Lynn an improvement in the pass rush which will help him shut down teams in the fourth quarter.
Jahkeem is Riley's most important signing. Throughout every successful era at USC, the defensive line has always been an emphasis. Even in Riley's first year, where the Trojans went 11-1 with a bad defense, the pass rush created turnovers even if the secondary was out of position. But in the past two years, USC hasn't been able to get to the quarterback, and it has hurt them. But with Stewart, USC will now have a strong defensive line that will stop the run and get to the QB. This is an Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Oregon-level recruit that USC hasn't been able to get since the Pete Carroll days. Of course, Riley and the Trojans can attract five-star QBs and skill positions. Throughout the past three years, the Trojans have signed three five-star receivers, two five-star QBs, one five-star RB, four four-star WRs, and many more four-star running backs and tight ends. The highest-ranked defensive recruit USC has gotten was Domani Jackson, who didn't develop at USC but has turned into a great corner at Alabama. After that, it was Kam Fountain, a four-star edge rusher out of Georgia. So the commitment of Stewart is the biggest. If he turns out to be the player everyone claims he is, then USC will have a much-improved defense going into next season, and a better shot at landing some of the top defensive line talent for the 2026 class.
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