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USC's signing day splash: Trojans land 5-star DL Jahkeem Stewart

Erik-McKinneyby:Erik McKinneyabout 13 hours

ErikTMcKinney

Jahkeem Stewart
5-star 2025 DL Jahkeem Stewart (left) during a visit to USC

USC made a huge five-star splash a few weeks ago when the Trojans flipped quarterback Husan Longstreet from Texas A&M. It took just a little longer for the Trojans to make the same impact on the defensive side. USC got it done on signing day, landing arguably their top target on that side of the ball in 5-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart.

The 6-foot-5.5, 270-pound lineman, nicknamed “Thanos,” is the nation’s No. 16 overall prospect in the 2025 On3 Industry Ranking and a top-25 overall prospect by On3, ESPN and Rivals.

It was a long road to this point and defensive line coach Eric Henderson deserves a ton of credit for not only believing USC could go into New Orleans and pull a star defensive lineman out of the Southeast, but do it against a strong push by LSU, Ohio State and Oregon.

Stewart took a number of unofficial visits to USC over the past year and a half and was on campus for his official visits when the Trojans beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers. That visit showcased all the opportunities Stewart would have during his career at USC. Ten days later, predictions started rolling in for Stewart to land with the Trojans. But as with any big-time prospect, the leader had to fight off some late charges and LSU wouldn’t go quietly in this battle.

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Stewart began this recruiting process as the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 class and a likely addition to the LSU class when it came time for him to commit. But Henderson pushed hard and the Trojans found some timely wins with Stewart in attendance — starting with beating LSU in Las Vegas and then the homecoming win against Nebraska. In October, Stewart announced he would reclassify to the 2025 class, where he is still seen as a 5-star prospect.

“My favorite things about (USC is) the opportunity there on the field, getting coached by the best,” Stewart told On3’s Steve Wiltfong when he made the decision to reclassify and talked about his top schools. “Coach Henny does a great job with what he does. He’s got results and resume on his coaching. 

“Off the field its a lot of opportunities off the field. Gavin (Morris) is my dawg. He told me I’m a star and he’s gonna turn me into a megastar off the field.

“They have a great marketing business class. That’s what I’m going to major in in college.”

His plan is to graduate this December and enroll early at USC.

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