The Trojans had many young players on their roster who stepped up this season. The offense improved, given how effective true freshman King Miller was on the ground. The Trojans’ defensive line struggled but had some bright spots, notably the play from true freshman Jahkeem Stewart. The Trojans need to be better in the trenches next season, but the future is extremely bright with Stewart up front. Multiple freshmen have been recognized for their play this season.
Pro Football Focus recently named Jahkeem Stewart to the All-Freshman Team. Stewart was highly touted coming out of high school, and even as a true freshman, the expectations were set high for him as he was named by FOX to the nation’s Top 10 impact freshmen before the start of the season. Stewart met those expectations and then some this year.
Stewart finished the season with 1.5 sacks, 18 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, and 1 interception. His interception was a huge turning point in one of the Trojans’ biggest wins of the season against Iowa. Stewart will be looked at to be one of the guys on the defense next season, and with the valuable experience he got in year 1, he should be ready to dominate the Big Ten in year 2.
The Trojans already have the 2026 class that finished number 1 in the country to be excited about, but Lincoln Riley and staff have the right guys in place to help the incoming freshmen get to where they need to be to have success early.
In year 1 in the Big Ten, the Trojans felt outmatched more often than not against their conference opponents. This year was not the case, USC had physical wins against Iowa and Michigan, two Big Ten longtime successful programs. A big part pf that plays in the talent that has been added to the roster. From top to bottom, the Trojans are now at the level needed to be competitive in the best conference in college football. This year’s record was a direct result of that. A big part of that is the freshman on this team like King Miller and Jahkeem Stewart.
The Trojans will need more King Millers and More Jahkeem Stewarts to take down their demanding schedule next season and make an even bigger jump from this season. Lincoln Riley and staff have to be extremely excited for what another year looks like for their top freshman. The Trojans will lose studs like Makai Lemon and most likely Kamari Ramsey, but this team will be in good hands and have an abundance of talent spread out on this roster.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jahkeem Stewart gets recognized for an impressive Year 1 at USC
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