Who Is Jahkeem Stewart? What To Know About The USC Freshman
Why Football Star Jahkeem Stewart Cut His High School Career Short
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There's plenty of freshmen out there getting fans excited for the coming college football season, and Jahkeem Stewart's way up there on that list.
The defensive lineman landed his fair share of achievements over the course of his high school career -- which ended up being much shorter than anyone expected!
We're going to take a look into the college athlete's background and see what he's got planned for his future in football.
Jakheem Moved In With His Trainer When He Was In High School
Stewart was born and raised in Reserve, Louisiana, located roughly 30 miles north of New Orleans, and began playing football early on in his life.
The athlete grew to 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 340 pounds when he was in 6th grade, according to ESPN ... that's also when he began working with trainer Clyde Alexander.
Stewart's trainer stepped in when the football player's family home was destroyed by Hurricane Ida in 2021, and he allowed the student athlete to move in with him. He dropped 60 pounds right away, ESPN reports. He now stands 6-foot-6 and weighs around 270 pounds.
The athlete enrolled at St. Augustine High School in 2022 ... although the institution's transfer rules kept him from playing varsity-level football as a freshman.
Stewart's High School Football Career Ended Early
Stewart was ruled eligible to play for St. Augustine his sophomore year, and he racked up 85 tackles and 20 sacks.
He ended up transferring out of St. Augustine to Edna Karr High School in an effort to make him eligible to play at the collegiate level at a faster rate, after St. Augustine denied his request to reclassify him to the 2025 class. After he was reclassifed he became eligible for the early college-football signing period.
Stewart didn't appear too beat up by the switch, and told ESPN the skills he learned at his first high school "helped me become a way better man than I was going in there."
He later spoke about the success of his high school football career, stating "every time I stepped on the field -- it was havoc."
The Athlete Signed On To Play For USC
Stewart, a top recruit during his time in high school, received numerous offers to play at various institutions, including LSU, Ohio State, and the University of Oregon.
The defensive lineman eventually accepted an offer from the University of Southern California, where he's set to join their defensive line.
Stewart's not the only 5-star recruit who pledged to the institution, as he'll be joined by quarterback Husan Longstreet.
Stewart told ESPN he'd be able to prove his worth "when people see me go get 10-plus sacks" upon starting his college football career.
