Louisiana's Jahkeem Stewart is new No. 1 prospect in 2026
This past week, there was big news in the college football recruiting world when Carrollton (Ga.) USC quarterback commit Julian ‘Juju’ Lewis announced his reclassification from the 2026 class into the 2025 class.
Lewis was previously the the No. 1 overall prospect in the early rankings for the 2026 cycle.
Now, there’s a new No. 1 overall prospect for next year’s cycle.
And he’s a Louisiana native.
Jahkeem Stewart, a sophomore who was previously ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect and No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2026 class, has now moved into the top spot among all 2026 prospects.
Offers are in from the Who’s Who of college football program, and the in-state Tigers and Alabama have been the early frontrunners on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM).
If LSU were able to reel in a commitment from Stewart, it could be back-to-back years of the Tigers landing the No. 1 overall prospect in the country. Stewart is ranked as the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 cycle, while 5-star+ quarterback Bryce Underwood checks in as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle. Underwood committed to LSU on January 6.
It’s also worth noting that Louisiana is now home to the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 prospects on the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2026 class. Stewart is ranked No. 1, followed by two Baton Rouge prospects in Catholic High safety Blaine Bradford and University High offensive/defensive lineman Lamar Brown.
Stewart ready to take in offseason recruiting
Now that his sophomore season at St. Augustine is in the books and the NCAA’s Dead Period has ended, Stewart is set to take in visits to a number of colleges.
This weekend, Stewart will head to USC, then regroup before finalizing his plans for what’s next.
“In the coming months I’ll be sitting down with my family and my coach to narrow down the schools I’m considering,” he said.
LSU, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan and others are in the mix for him right now.
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“I want to enjoy the recruiting process,” Stewart said. “All the big house schools (have) good d-linemen and good coaching. I’m looking for the best college for me and what can help with my future in life. I want to surround myself with great-minded people and people I can trust.
“Trust is a big word and I barely use, but I want to put myself around people who think and move like me. I want people to make a connection with me.”
LSU’s hire of Bo Davis is turning heads with top recruits
With LSU’s decision to bring former Texas defensive line coach Bo Davis back to Baton Rouge, the move resonated with one of the most important high school recruits for the Tigers.
“I feel that it’s a great hire for LSU football program,” Stewart told On3. “Coach Bo Davis is a great, old-school D-line coach and a great recruiter. He believes in physicality. Coach Davis develops and prepares you to play on Sundays. Who’s going to be my position coach is high on my list. I love it.
“It’s a lot of things I like about Coach Davis, but my favorite is that he coaches physicality, and I love physicality.”
