USC lands 5-star DE Jahkeem Stewart, No. 11 in the 2025 ESPN 300

Five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart, No. 11 in the 2025 ESPN 300, committed to USC on Wednesday afternoon, announcing his decision live on “College Football Live” during a ceremony at Edna Karr High School in New Orleans.

Once the No. 1 pick in the 2026 class, Stewart entered the 2025 cycle in October and visited Oregon, Ohio State, LSU and USC in the final weeks before the early signing period before committing to the Trojans on Wednesday, landing as the top-ranked prospect Member of Lincoln Riley’s class of 2025.

Stewart, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound pass rusher capable of playing across the defensive line, entered Wednesday as the second-ranked uncommitted prospect in the nation.

Originally from Reserve, Louisiana, Stewart was one of the top prospects in the country as a middle school student and spent the first two years of his high school career at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, where he recorded 85 tackles (including 33 for losses). recorded 20 sacks in his sophomore season last fall. Stewart was ruled out of playing his junior season this fall after an in-season transfer to Edna Karr and will forgo his senior year following his reclassification, meaning Stewart will enter college as an early enrollee in 2025 after playing just 12 games in the played varsity football.

“I feel like if I walked on campus now, I could easily take someone’s spot and get three sacks. I’m a competitor,” Stewart recently told ESPN. “My way of thinking is different.”

USC was the last of Stewart’s finalists to receive a visit from the prized defensive lineman, hosting him on Nov. 16 after trips to Oregon, Ohio State and LSU.

Stewart’s commitment is a key recruiting victory for a USC class that lost nine commitments from the ESPN 300 in the current cycle, led by the five-star rejections of quarterback Julian Lewis and defensive linemen Justus Terry.

Stewart is now the highest-rated member of a Trojans recruiting class that includes top-100 commitments from quarterback Husan Longstreet (No. 47 in the ESPN 300) and offensive tackle Aaron Dunn (No. 76). In addition to Stewart, USC’s ESPN 300 defensive line includes safety Kendarius Reddick (No. 102), linebackers Matai Tagoa’i (No. 159) and Jadon Perlotte (No. 169), and cornerback Trestin Castro (No. 261).