Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans host the San José State Spartans in their season opener on August 29 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. As the team gets in the mood for a season of high expectations, bad news has come out of the team’s camp. One of their defensive wonderkids has been hit with an injury.
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Over the weekend, media members around the USC Trojans’ practice spotted sophomore defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart sporting crutches and a boot on his injured right foot. Riley revealed that the injury is connected to the one he picked up as a freshman in 2025, and he gave updates regarding the impact of the injury and his recovery timeline.
“Yeah, what he’s dealing with right now is minor,” Riley revealed to the media on August 25 after the Trojans’ practice ahead of their season opener. “I don’t think he’ll play this week. [The] plan is to probably hold him, and then I think he’ll be available from that point forward, but it’s certainly not long term and so little precautionary right now, and letting him do a little bit of healing, and he should be back here pretty quick.”
Stewart was one of the Trojans’ outstanding freshmen in the 2025 season, earning All-American honors after a series of brilliant performances. This was while he played the entire season with a foot fracture he picked up in August.
The defensive lineman got a stress fracture in his foot during fall camp. As a result, he missed the Trojans’ season opener. However, rather than getting a surgery, Stewart opted to play through the injury. He featured in the rest of USC’s 11 regular season games, recording 18 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 interception.
However, just as the regular season ended, Stewart finally got the surgery. Over the spring and summer, the defensive lineman completed his post-surgery rehab. Heading into the fall camp, everything appeared to be in track. Stewart participated in fall camp without limitations.
But just as the camp was about to end, the injury bug has struck again. However, it’s minor compared to what he went through last season. For now, the team is being precautious about Stewart.
“Yeah, we just got to watch it,” Riley added. “Everybody’s different in terms of their size, their biomechanics, in terms of how they run… Guys like Jahkeem that are pretty violent in the way that they move and transfer energy on the ground. Like there’s there’s some there’s some force going into the ground. I think some of these injuries are freak things that happen from time to time in this game, and that’s part of it.”
“And there are things that as guys go and as their bodies evolve and get bigger and stronger that you have to make adjustments on or they have to make adjustments on. So certainly he’s one that we’re watching, but fortunate that nothing long-term right now, and we should have him back soon.”
Immediate reports projected that Stewart would miss as many as the program’s entire non-conference games. However, Riley’s comments are more positive, hinting at a possible return in the Week 2 home game against Fresno State.
Stewart on his injury after surgery
Stewart’s injury was approached with caution in the 2025 season despite his activity. He was kept on the sidelines during many of the team’s practices, as his injury was managed to ensure he was fit for the 11 games he played in.
“I could have got surgery, but I wouldn’t have felt comfortable,” Stewart said earlier this month. “I wouldn’t have felt complete as a human, knowing that I still had stuff in the tank that I could have gave to my team.”
Regardless of the threats Stewart’s injury poses to the team, Riley has shown confidence in the team’s defensive depth. He boasted about the team’s blend of youth and experience in the defensive room, as there will be a lot of rotations to ensure there are less issues to deal with.