USC Trojans Latest Visit May Steal 5-Star DL from LSU

The USC Trojans have been in pursuit of one of the nation’s top 2025 defensive linemen, Jahkeem Steward, the day after they hired longtime Los Angeles Rams DL coach Eric Henderson. Henderson has a longstanding relationship with Stewart, which opened the door for SC to land the consensus five-star defenseman.

According to On3, Henderson and Stewart’s head coach, Clyde Alexander, have a long-standing relationship dating back to their Edna Kerr High School days. It happens to be Stewart’s school.

USC Trojans host Jahkeem Stewart on impressive official visit

When Henderson took the job, he reached out to Alexander with a big request, Stewart commits to USC.

“He said if he took the job at USC, he told me he needed me to bring him the baby,” Alexander said. “USC was the first place we visited after he took the USC job in January.”

And Alexander has done that. Jahkeem Stewart visited the school last weekend in an official capacity.

Once in LA, USC pulled out all the stops, according to On3’s Scott Schrader;

“Over the weekend Stewart, his family and Alexander met with people from Marvel Studios, they visited the FOX Sports studios when Michael Strahan and the guys did their show, they had dinner at Nobu in Malibu on Friday night and met prominent USC people involved in property development.”

While Stewart is interested in the USC Trojans for what it can prepare him to do after football, Coach Alexander recognizes that, but also what it can do for him as a player.

“At USC, they have an elite staff, great schemes on defense and offense and an administration all while adding elite coaches and athletes to the football program,” Alexander said. “We’re not looking at USC’s record or the same as fans, we’re looking at what these coaches are doing with their current players.

“USC has everything it takes to succeed.”

Despite those efforts, Stewart’s home state school, the LSU Tigers, are still favored to land Stewart by a wide margin — 67.2 percent to 1.2 percent, according to the On3 recruiting prediction engine