Five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart signed with USC, giving Lincoln Riley the most significant recruiting win of his three-year tenure as the Trojans head coach.
USC beat out Ohio State, Oregon, LSU and others for Stewart, a Louisiana native who is the No. 16 prospect in the 247Sports Composite in the 2025 recruiting cycle. Stewart was initially a member of the 2026 cycle but reclassified in October.
He is the second five-star in the Trojans’ class, joining quarterback Husan Longstreet.
USC aspires to be an elite program. It’s not at that level right now, primarily because it has a long way to go in the trenches to consistently compete at the top level of the sport. One step toward fixing that is through talent acquisition. Stewart’s commitment is a move in a positive direction for the Trojans and comes at a time when USC needs some signs of hope after losing at least five games in consecutive seasons.
How did USC land Stewart?
Optimism and buzz about USC’s chances have grown since Stewart visited campus for the Nebraska game in mid-November. But the Trojans have been a constant presence in Stewart’s recruitment over the past year. The main reason for that is the work of defensive line coach Eric Henderson, who is also a Louisiana native and has built a strong relationship with Stewart. Henderson is also close with Stewart’s trainer, Clyde Alexander.
Henderson has been touted as a high-impact recruiter since he was hired in January. He made some initial splashes in the spring, but the prospects he landed eventually decommitted. This is Henderson’s first splash signing. He’ll need more but he has a win under his belt now.
NIL has been an area that fans like to point to when USC loses a recruit, so it’s noteworthy that USC beat out two high-powered NIL programs, Ohio State and Oregon, for Stewart.
It’s been a while since USC won a high-profile recruiting tug-of-war for a five-star defensive lineman from the Southeast. Things clearly lined up well for the Trojans this time.
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