“That guy’s,” Longstreet smiled, “a beast.”

If Longstreet, a quarterback, is poised as the future of Lincoln Riley’s offense at USC, Stewart is the future of USC’s defense, a heaping weight of responsibility on a fairly high-risk five-star profile. The Louisiana product will enter spring practice, as a Trojan, at 17 years old. He has played 12 games of varsity football in his high school career, in total, according to ESPN.

But the upside, as Riley indicated on National Signing Day, is massive.

“You look at guys and you’re like, alright, do they have the mental makeup, and do they have the physical – are they far enough developed physically to feel like they can come in and make an impact?” Riley said, on National Signing Day. “And I mean, I, he certainly has that.”

Even if Stewart isn’t quite ready for meaningful snaps as a true freshman, a 6-foot-6, 270-pound force of a defensive lineman, USC has added notable pieces this offseason to shore up a pass rush that struggled to affect pockets in 2024. Kentucky transfer Keeshawn Silver (spent a year at North Carolina before transferring to the Wildcats) and Georgia transfer Jamaal Jarrett (#55) give USC two potential interior defensive line starters as big as anyone in the Big Ten: Jarrett stands at 6-5 and weighs 350 pounds, while Silver measures 6-4 and 336.

As the first transfer-portal window has wrapped – although exceptions are always possible – here’s a full breakdown of the movement on USC’s defensive line entering spring, the fourth in a six-part series examining the post-portal scholarship outlook for every part of the roster.

Defensive tackle

Returning: Carlon Jones, Fr.; Ratumana Bulabalavu, Fr.; Jide Abasiri, Fr.; Devan Thompkins, Soph.

Departing: Elijah Hughes, Soph. (portal, Notre Dame); Bear Alexander, Jr. (portal, Oregon); Gavin Meyer, Sr. (NFL Draft); Kobe Pepe, Sr. (eligibility); Nate Clifton, Sr. (NFL Draft);

Defensive end/edge rusher

Returning: Anthony Lucas, Jr.; Braylan Shelby, Soph.; Lorenzo Cowan, Fr.; Kameryn Fountain, Fr.;

Arriving: Jahkeem Stewart (Louisiana); Gus Cordova (Texas)

Departing: Jamil Muhammad, Sr. (NFL Draft); DJ Peevy, Fr. (portal, unknown); Sam Greene, Fr. (portal, Kentucky); Solomon Tuliaupupu (eligibility)

Top questions

Can Anthony Lucas pick up where he left off? Amid a season-ending injury, Lucas has become somewhat of a forgotten man in an overhauled room. But a few games into 2024, and a few short months ago, he showed flashes of the player USC envisioned when they plucked him out of the portal from Texas A&M in 2023, generating 14 quarterback pressures in six games. If Lucas can return healthy from a leg injury and put that production to a full season, USC’s defensive line outlook come the fall looks plenty rosy.

Is Jarrett ready for a featured role? He generated plenty of buzz in the portal for his pedigree and sheer size, but Jarrett only earned infrequent spot snaps across two years at Georgia and brings a notably checkered past to USC, investigated by police for sexual assault while on a visit to Georgia’s campus in 2022. He was paid a premium to transfer to USC, however, and the program will need him to provide consistent snaps on the interior.

Will 2025 bring a sophomore breakout for Kam Fountain? By the end of 2024, with USC searching for any possible way to generate pressure, Fountain quickly rose from the sidelines to a starting role off the edge. He shone in a rivalry win over UCLA, racking up four hurries, and the 6-6, 265-pound rising sophomore will have every opportunity to continue chasing opposing quarterbacks this fall.

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