USC has spent the offseason pouring resources into its defense, and Jahkeem Stewart sits right at the center of that bet. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound Louisiana native was already a key piece last season, logging 217 defensive snaps as a freshman while playing through a broken foot. Even limited, he flashed enough to earn a 66.6 grade from Pro Football Focus.
For Stewart, last season was about more than surviving pain. It was about setting a tone inside the locker room.
"It was hard, because I couldn't practice," Stewart said. "I had a little bit of snaps.
I didn't have a lot of snaps in the season, so I feel as though just being for the team and me sacrificing my body for the team because [head coach Lincoln] Riley and everybody seeing it they feel as though like 'If he could do it then I could do it too.' So everybody looking back at what I did, what I created, they feel like 'He really loved the team and loved USC.'"
"It was good. It hurt, but no pain's temporary, I'll do anything, put my whole body on the line for the team."
That kind of mindset showed up on the field, too. Stewart used film study and pre-snap information to trigger a huge tackle for loss in USC’s home win over Michigan State, beating the Spartans’ line so fast he nearly got to the handoff itself. He smiled when that play came up, but he also sounded like a player who knows he can pick his spots better now.
"Me having this year, especially in college, it was great," Stewart said. "I could look at certain situations and know when to take a shot and when not to take a shot.
Knowing if I make the play, I ain't gonna get yelled at none. If I don't make the play, I'm gonna get yelled at.
So just knowing certain things, I can't wait for the season to help my team out so much because there's certain situations I'm looking forward to, and that I know for sure that I can help the team, man."
A big reason Stewart feels that way is the new voice guiding USC’s defense. He has already bought into defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, whom he called coach GP and praised for the way he can put players in position to make plays.
"Knowing that the team's gonna allow me to make that play, and I'm gonna make that play for the team," Stewart said. "But just knowing that we got a great defensive coordinator, coach GP, coach Gary Patterson.
He gonna set the scheme up perfect for me to make plays, and for other people to make plays. And he knows when to do it, what time to do it.
He's so smart. He's one of the smartest coaches I've been around.
"Coach P been in the game for 40-plus years. I can't do nothing but respect the knowledge he's got," Stewart added.
"He watch film every day, and I'm trying to get to his level of knowledge about football, I ain't nowhere even close. Though me just being around a legend like that, I feel as though I'll get closer and closer and closer and closer."
"Man, he one of the best, and you can't ask for nothing else."
Inside USC’s room, Stewart says he’s surrounded by older players who can carry the leadership load while he keeps growing. He listed Jide Abasiri, Braylan Shelby, Kam Crawford, transfer Zuriah Fisher and Alex VanSumeren as examples of that veteran presence.
"They really want me to just lead by example because I'm also 19 years old," Stewart said. "I got great leaders in my room.
I got Jide Abasiri. I got [Braylan)] Shelby.
I got Kam [Crawford]. I got [Zuriah] Fisher a transfer.
I got Alex VanSumeren. I got great leaders in the room right now.
Just me really building for them because I'm not where I want to be right now as a player, and I don't think I can really be where I want to be right now as a good leader.
"But we got great leaders, great captains. Me just really building for them because they always holding me accountable, but I'm also holding them accountable, and that's what they want from me and that's what I'm going to give them. But right now, they really want me to lead by example, and I think I've been doing a great job at that."
That structure around him has let Stewart keep the focus on his own development. He said he isn’t feeling the weight of the expectations surrounding USC’s defense or his role in it, even with the Trojans looking for major improvement from a unit they’ve invested heavily in and one they need to take a big step if they want to make playoff noise.
"I don't feel no pressure at all," Stewart said. "Just having coach Riley, got coach Skyler [Jones], coach [Shaun] Nua with me.
They got my mind forward to just focus on being a better teammate and being a better person right now. Just knowing I can trust them outside of football, and I can focus on my craft.
That's just my main thing. The more I focus on my craft, the more I can help the team out."
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