Throughout the 2024 season, 5-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart kept CFB programs on their toes. The list of Stewart’s suitors has been pretty long. Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes and Dan Lanning’s Oregon Ducks were some of them who had lined up to land the quarterback. Finally, he went to Lincoln Riley’s program. 

Now that he has found a stable home, the next step for Stewart is to face questions about his athletic capabilities. Right now the CFB world has been split up into two groups. Team Jahkeem Stewart and Team Anti-Jahkeem Stewart. They are then joined by the fans who doubt the young chap’s potential at USC. 

Split perspectives about Jahkeem Stewart

Stewart once was the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class. Later on, in October, reclassified into the 2025 cycle. There have been enough speculations about him landing with the Ducks. Finally, on the first week of December, Riley and the Trojans landed the 6-foot-6, 290-pound pass rusher who is capable of playing across the defensive line. Now that, the suspense surrounding Stewart’s next stop is over, let’s come back to business. The debate over Stewart’s final ranking was lengthy. Many speculated that his No.22 overall spot is a result of compromised ranking. Now there is one big question that continues to loom: Will Jahkeem Stewart live up to the 5-star expectations?

As expected, the analysts were split up into two groups. Rivals.com took the views of  National recruiting director Adam Gorney and national recruiting analyst Sam Spiegelman. Stewart seemed to have wooed Gorney while doubts still plagued Spiegelman’s trust over the quarterback. Let’s start with the positive review. The recruiting director had voted for a yes. For Gorney, Stewart’s size, physical prowess, and mental drive come off as a package, into being a dominant defensive lineman. He can envision a similarity between the Trojans’ recruit and the Kansas City Chiefs’ legend, Chris Jones.

“Yes, I wish Stewart would have shown all his abilities on the field at the high school level. But I only think it would have reinforced everything we’ve already known about him – that when he’s on the field, he’s an outstanding player with a relentless drive,” stated the analyst in Stewart’s favor.

However, to Spiegelman, even though the athlete carries the tag of “generational talent” given by the SEC coordinators, there are certain loopholes. Mainly, it’s the lack of exposure. As the recruiting analyst shared, “Stewart’s make-up and performances in camp settings are tremendous, but it’s difficult to ignore the lack of real football experience (12 varsity games) and not competing during his senior season…There are other recruits with equally as tantalizing skill sets and less baggage to roll the dice on here.” Now what views do the fans hold for the defensive lineman?

Fans’ doubts prevail on Jahkeem Stewart’s road ahead

The defensive lineman was ineligible to play his freshman season in 2022. However, Stewart did not give up. Instead, he returned for a big sophomore season in 2023. During that time, he came up with 33 tackles for loss and 20 sacks that season. Sadly, that was his last substantial football stint as throughout the 2024 season, he has been ruled ineligible. So, if Stewart thinks that he would unleash his pent-up grievance, a fan gave him a reality check. He wrote, “He will get humbled soon.”

Since Stewart has been away from the football-related competition, there is a sense that there is a steeper gap to climb. After all, 5-star recruits are constantly under the microscope, so they must be able to handle the pressure. On that note, a fan wrote, “Hell no.” While, to another fan, the defensive end is not the problem, rather it’s more of a program factor that might be a barrier. “Not at USC,” commented a fan. Maybe, the Trojans fan is still not over the Julian “JuJu” Lewis phase. 

Another fan tried to spread some salt on Stewart’s wounds. As he had been ruled ineligible to compete in his junior season, a fan wrote, “He will, but only one year of high school ball it might take a minute.” Maybe another fan is sure enough that the defensive lineman’s USC start will be filled with penalties. Hence he commented, “Hands to the face and neck.” Now, can Jahkeem Stewart rise above the noise and prove why he is a five-star force?