"I bet no one is laughing anymore": Five-star DL signee backs his past comment about Lincoln Riley's USC

Five-star defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart has been a cornerstone of USC's 2025 recruiting class. Since signing with the Trojans in December, the Edna Karr (New Orleans) standout has been vocal about the bright future of the upcoming 2026 recruiting cycle.

Shortly after signing on Dec. 4, Stewart made a bold statement on X, posting:

"The 2026 Class that I’m putting together will go down in @uscfb History #FightOn✌🏾 If you’re not ready to put in work and grind don’t come out west. I know who the real ballers are. Those rankings don’t fool me. I know who’s who."

On Tuesday, four-star offensive lineman Esun Tafa committed to USC's 2026 class, just hours after four-star wide receiver Trent Mosley also chose the Trojans.

After these back-to-back commitments, Stewart reshared his previous post about USC’s 2026 class, adding:

"I bet no one is laughing anymore. Just wait until all the dawgs from down south I have coming start announcing commitments. #FTFO✌🏾 'I am Inevitable.'"

USC's 2026 class already ranks No. 1 in the nation with 14 committed players.

Meanwhile, four-star defensive lineman Dylan Berymon is trending toward USC, as Rivals analyst Sam Spiegelman logged a "futurecast" prediction for him to join the Trojans.

Jahkeem Stewart is expected to make an immediate impact on USC

Originally a 2026 prospect, Jahkeem Stewart reclassified to the 2025 class to accelerate his college career. Before reclassification, he held the No. 1 spot in the 2026 rankings. Now, Rivals ranks him as the No. 22 overall prospect and the No. 2 defensive lineman in the 2025 class.

A USC source noted that Stewart is “working his butt off” to make an immediate impact next season, which aligns with Lincoln Riley’s efforts to strengthen the Trojans' defense.

“Jahkeem is someone that we targeted very early on, the tough thing was so did everyone else,” Riley told SI. "He’s a neat young man, we got to spend a lot of time with him, he was able to come out to LA several times throughout the process."

Alongside Stewart, USC’s 2025 cycle's defensive line class includes signees Floyd Boucard and Cash Jacobsen. The Trojans also bolstered their front through the transfer portal, adding four-star linemen Keeshawn Silver and Jamaal Jarrett.