BREAKING: Nation's overall No. 1 prospect in 2026 class set for Miami weekend visit ... "I can’t wait to get out there"
It was four years ago that a then rising eighth-grade football player out of Louisiana named Jahkeem Stewart first heard from the Miami Hurricanes. The then-Manny Diaz led staff convinced Stewart to come down to Miami for Paradise Camp, and Stewart’s main memory from that weekend was “iguanas in the trees, and seeing Calais Campbell – he was huge.”
Now it’s Stewart that is bigtime. Fast-forward to the present and the New Orleans (La.) St. Augustine High School defensive lineman is the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruit regardless of position in the Class of 2026 by On3. The way he tells it, the current Miami staff has relentlessly recruited him for the last year.
“They really started looking at me because they know I’m not scared to leave home,” said Stewart, who many project to stay in-state at LSU.
The next step in Stewart’s UM recruiting journey is upcoming. He is flying to Miami this evening with one of his coaches and will return on Sunday. He anticipates the full weekend experience/second time on campus will tell him a lot about just where the Canes fit on his list.
“I can’t wait to get out there,” he says. “I see Miami making a big change right now. I feel as though I can fit myself into what they have going on with their program. I’m going to be looking for more details how they would use me, and I know they have great D line coaches with Jason Taylor and coach Joe (Salave’a).”
Salave’a visited Stewart at school earlier this year, and Stewart’s stayed in touch with Salave’a and several other Cane coaches – “I just feel a bond with the coaches,” he says.
After the Miami visit will come April trips – to Auburn, Ohio State, USC and Oregon, in that order.
“Miami is pretty high on my list,” says Stewart, who hasn’t yet adjusted a top 15 he announced early in the year. “I know they have the most defensive line draft picks in all of college football. Miami, they had a legend from Louisiana, Ed Reed, who played 20 minutes away from me. I’ve gone to his camps and talked to him and it was great talking to him, being around him. Miami is a legendary school.”
As for where things stand at this stage of his process?
“I’m not going to rush into things, when the time comes it comes,” Stewart said.“I’ll make my final decision senior year. I’m not rushing the process, taking it day by day.”
As Stewart embarks on his Miami visit, he also reflects back a bit. And we’re talking about even before Manny Diaz & crew were the first to contact him on behalf of the Canes.
Stewart grew up playing football and baseball, and he was always a standout on the football field after taking up the sport at age 4. Yes, he played organized football as a 4-year-old.
“I was always big, always played up,” says the 6-6, 270-pound Stewart, whose parents are 6-0 and 6-2.
From those early days to now being the nation’s top-ranked prospect is a nod to his talent … and his hard work. Stewart vows to keep approaching the sport the same way he did when he began: Humble, coachable, and enjoying every minute.
“It’s been a long journey, and I want to stay humble,” Stewart said. “Being No. 1, it’s a lot on your plate. You have to have certain people around you. You want people who will tell you what you are doing right and wrong.”
