The Trojans have a number of young players on their roster who are emerging this season. The offense has improved given how efficient true freshman Kim Miller is on the field. The Trojans’ defensive line struggled, but there were some bright spots, especially the performance of true freshman Jakeem Stewart. The Trojans will need to be better in the trenches next season, but with Stewart up front, the future is very bright. Multiple freshmen were recognized for their performances 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, expectations were high as he was named a top-10 impact freshman nationally by Fox before the season began. Stewart met those expectations and delivered some this year.
advertise
Stewart has 1.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 7.5 tackles for loss and one interception this season. His interception was a huge turning point in one of the Trojans’ biggest wins of the season against Iowa State. Stewart will be viewed as one of the defensive players next season, and with the valuable experience he gained in his first year, he should be ready to dominate the Big Ten Conference in year two.
The Trojans already have an exciting 2026 class ranked No. 1 in the nation, but Lincoln Riley and staff have found the right guys to help the incoming freshmen get where they need to be for early success.
In their first year in the Big Ten, the Trojans often felt like they were at a disadvantage against conference opponents. That wasn’t the case this year, with USC notching physical wins against Iowa State and Michigan State, two perennially successful programs in the Big Ten. An important part is making a play for the talent that has been added to the roster. From top to bottom, the Trojans are now at the level they need to be competitive in college football’s best conference. This year’s record is a direct result of that. A big part of that is the freshmen on this team, like Kim Miller and Jakeem Stewart.
The Trojans need more of Kim Miller and Jakim Stewart to complete next season’s tough schedule and take a big leap forward from this season. Lincoln Riley and staff must be very excited for the new year with their top freshmen. The Trojans will lose players like Makai Lemon and most likely Kamari Ramsey, but the team will be well managed and have a ton of talent on the roster.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Jahkeem Stewart recognized for stellar freshman year at USC
