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Jahkeem Stewart injury update: USC standout true freshman to miss opener

Erik-McKinneyby: Erik McKinney08/29/25ErikTMcKinney

The USC Trojans will be without their top 2025 defensive signee for the season opener against Missouri State as head coach Lincoln Riley said Jahkeem Stewart won’t be available due to injury.

The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Stewart was an early enrollee and started drawing positive reviews the moment he stepped on campus. There were gigantic expectations for the No. 33 overall prospect in the 2025 class as the top defensive prospect for the Trojans in that class and the target of a huge recruiting win for USC. He lived up to all of those early on as defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn mentioned several times over the past few months how prepared Stewart was when he showed up and how quickly he took to everything they were doing defensively.

But an injury has pushed back Stewart’s arrival time at least another week.

“He’s not ready,” Riley said of Stewart. “It’s close. Won’t play in the first one here.”

Stewart was spotted recently wearing a walking boot, which initially raised concerns about his opening-day availability.

Stewart was listed as the No. 2 defensive tackle on USC’s season-opening depth chart, behind starter Jide Abasiri. With Missouri State visiting the Coliseum as a 35-point underdog, missing a player here or there isn’t expected to be a huge issue for USC. But Trojan fans will have to wait at least another week to see Stewart on the field and playing for the first time in cardinal and gold.

Landing Stewart in this past recruiting class was a big part of USC’s offseason push to reshape the defensive line. Of the six players listed on the depth chart at defensive tackle, four are new arrivals this offseason. Stewart is joined by fellow impressive true freshman Floyd Boucard, along with big-time transfer portal acquisitions Keeshawn Silver and Jamaal Jarrett.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz