Two weeks ago Edna Karr defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart made an Instagram post in LSU’s outfit holding a baseball bat. Then last week, he made another post, this time in the colors of USC Trojans wearing the “Infinity Gauntlet” depicted in the MCU. After teasing these two programs with a move, the 6-foot-6, 270-pounder once again made a Marvel reference while hinting at a move to Sherron Moore’s Wolverines.

The Michigan Wolverines may not be the top-performing team this season, but they are proving to be quite savvy when it comes to recruiting. They got Bryce Underwood to flip his commitment from the LSU Tigers and now they have their sights set on adding five-star defensive lineman Stewart to their roster. And it looks like the No. 1 player from the state of Louisiana in his class, is considering joining Underwood at Ann Arbor.

On Sunday, Jahkeem Stewart made a post on X where he is seen standing wearing Michigan’s jersey and the Infinity Gauntlet in a comic book poster with a quote from MCU’s villain Thanos that reads, “The hardest choices require the strongest wills.” In the tweet, he added, “Thank you @UMichFootball for showing love.” He also posted the same image on his Instagram stories later. Well, does it hint that despite strong interest from USC Trojans and his association with them, Stewart has made the hard choice of joining Michigan?

After securing Underwood by tabling a massive NIL offer, Michigan look to up the ante for Stewart as well. Stewart’s trainer Clyde Alexander confirmed Michigan’s interest in Stewart after being unable to get a commitment from him earlier. “

Michigan was in Jahkeem’s recruiting early on. The guy basically told me they backed off because financially they weren’t in a place with NIL and able to deal with a kid of Jahkeem’s caliber. But he said they’re in a totally different space financially going after the best players in the country.” While money was a factor before, it doesn’t seem to be the case now for the Wolverines.

They reportedly offered Underwood a four-year $10 million deal, with some reports hinting that it could go up to $12 million. Notably, it is reported that billionaire Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle is providing funds to Michigan to help them land their top targets. Ellison has a net worth of more than $230 billion and hence money doesn’t seem to be the issue. Stewart also confirmed the second offer from Michigan on his X account.

“Bless to be RE offered by @UMichFootball thank you @UMichCoachEspo @Coach_SMoore #GoBigBlue,”  he tweeted on November 22. Stewart is considered the No. 16 overall prospect, and No. 3 defensive lineman and has plenty of offers from major programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, Miami, and Texas among others. But it appears Michigan holds the upper hand.

Still, this isn’t a done deal with Ducks and USC strongly in the mix.

Michigan has to battle with the Ducks and USC for Stewart

Everyone wants a strong defense, right? So, landing a player like Jahkeem Stewart, the strongest defensive end, is a huge deal. And it only increases every other team’s desperation to get him into their program. But the list is quite long, with the Tigers, Trojans, Ohio State, and most importantly, Oregon in the running.

Let’s debate all we want: the Ducks are undefeated in the season and have a high chance of making it to the playoffs, but even then, it doesn’t guarantee anything. Following their bye week, Dan Lanning and the team were planning to get Jahkeem to the university and possibly work on his commitment, but now it looks like all their efforts might go straight down the drain. But USC remains a strong prospect.

He visited the USC last weekend and the reports coming out suggest that the program did a good job of making him feel that this was the place to be. Moreover, he has a close association with USC Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Eric Henderson. Both are from Louisana, and Henderson even went to Edna Karr High School, the same school that Stewart transferred to this season. Not only this, but Henderson also has a good relationship with Stewart’s trainer Clyde Alexander.

But Michigan’s new-found financial muscle may yet tilt the scales in their favor and going by Stewart’s recent social media activity it may well have.