The USC Trojans landed one of the more highly-touted recruits in the Class of 2025, securing a commitment from five-star defensive end Jahkeem Stewart, seen as the No. 8 recruit in the cycle by Rivals.
USC lands highly-touted recruit Jahkeem Stewart, but loses other potential talent on early National Signing Day
With a disappointing season behind them, how early National Signing Day would go for the Trojans was in question.
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Rohan Chakravarthi is the site manager at Bucky’s 5th Quarter, contributes to Niners Nation and covers high school recruiting for SBNation.com.
Stewart, a 6’6”, 270-pound defensive end from New Orleans, Louisiana, had originally been the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class, but re-classified to move one year up and join the 2025 class, where he immediately became one of the more sought-after recruits in the cycle.
Taking official visits in the fall, Stewart visited a number of powerhouses, including Ohio State, LSU and USC before ultimately committing to the Trojans on Wednesday on National Signing Day.
Stewart fills a significant need for the Trojans, as they have struggled to recruit interior defensive linemen in the past. Defending the run had been an issue for the team in 2024, as USC ranked 80th in the country allowing 4.5 yards per carry this season.
Even though Stewart was initially a recruit in the Class of 2026, this commitment was years in the making, as the Trojans appealed to the defensive end early, with several staffers building a relationship with the five-star, while also approaching NIL ventures as well.
While NIL played a significant role here in this recruitment, Stewart had a strong relationship with lead recruiter Eric Henderson, who is the defensive line coach at USC.
Stewart has had an interesting high school career, as he sprung onto the scene as a sophomore, recording 85 tackles, 33 tackles for loss and 20 sacks in a major year. However, he did not play this season as he attempted to transfer and has now re-classified into the 2025 class.
Still, he could be a quick contributor for USC, who needs both ample bodies and talent up front along their defensive line, but it does depend on the position the Trojans expect him to play, as he could need some bulking up before seeing significant time on the interior.
Stewart easily becomes USC’s best defensive lineman in the 2025 class, and joins three-stars Floyd Boucard, Cash Jacobsen and Gus Cordova as the players at the position for the Trojans in the cycle.
He adds to USC’s 13th-ranked recruiting class and joins quarterback Husan Longstreet as the two five-stars in the cycle for USC.
The Trojans did face some unfortunate news elsewhere, as they were unable to flip five-star cornerback Dijon Lee from Alabama, failing to keep the Mission Viejo cornerback near home despite repeated efforts to do so. Lee signed with the Crimson Tide on Wednesday morning, joining an elite recruiting class for head coach Kalen DeBoer.
Additionally, they lost a commitment from Utah five-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, who committed to Texas A&M on Wednesday after taking a visit there for their matchup against Texas this past weekend.
That wasn’t all though, as USC missed out on a big flip opportunity with four-star cornerback Dalen Penson, who signed with the hometown Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets despite a hard push from the Trojans.
And, they failed to keep linebacker Madden Faraimo home, despite being in his final four, with the four-star linebacker electing to sign with Notre Dame on Wednesday as one of the top uncommitted recruits remaining in the 2025 class.
So, with some big misses elsewhere with last-minute pushes, it was absolutely pivotal that the Trojans found a way to land five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, and they did exactly that on Wednesday, adding to a top-15 class in the nation.
