When asked why he reclassified to graduate high school a year early and pursue college football, freshman defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart’s answer was perfectly in line with his confident yet mature demeanor: “I was ready.”

“My sophomore year, I feel as though I dominated that, and I didn’t want to do two more years in high school because I was ready for it, and I took the leap,” Stewart said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “You’ve got to take some risks sometimes.”

Stewart, at one point the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2026, reclassified to the Class of 2025 to attend college a year early, but rules related to reclassifying barred him from playing his final year of high school. That meant that ahead of his debut against Georgia Southern University (1-2) on Sept. 6, the 18-year-old Stewart hadn’t played in a football game in well over a year.

“There are a lot of people that I don’t think would be ready, physically or mentally, to do that. But he is one of ’em,” Head Coach Lincoln Riley said shortly after Stewart committed to USC, according to The Los Angeles Times. “We had zero hesitation to target him and had zero hesitation or questions about what he brings to the table here.”

While Stewart said the risk eventually paid off with his commitment to USC (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten), he said he was tested emotionally in the year without football but was able to stick with it thanks to his 15-year commitment to the game and the support of his friends, coaches and family.

“It shaped me a lot, a lot of life lessons, especially in the process of trusting God with his path, and trusting everybody around me and in my circle, keeping me motivated,” Stewart said. “I got people looking up to me. … I want my little brother knowing that if there’s anything out here you want to do, be confident. It’s football, and nothing changes but the speed of the game and the body size of the people.”

In two games, Stewart, nicknamed “Thanos” for his ability to get through offensive linemen, has made three solo tackles, two of which were for a loss. Fitting his nickname, Stewart said the part of his game he has improved most since coming to USC is becoming a more “dominant player.”

After Stewart’s debut, Riley called him “really talented” and had previously praised his maturity despite his age and lack of game reps near the end of high school.

“His football IQ is high, [but] there’s still some rookie mistakes you’ll see him make. There are still some things that he’s seeing for the first time because he didn’t play a lot of ball in high school either,” Defensive Coordinator D’Anton Lynn said of Stewart in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “But he’s very mature.”

Though Stewart’s playing time has been limited, in part due to an injury that made him sit out of USC’s week-one matchup with Missouri State University (1-2), he has already shown the flashes of dominance that made him one of the top recruits in the nation and got him named to the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award watch list. 

“Jahkeem[‘s] been working,” redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Jamaal Jarrett said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “Had to fight a little adversity not too long ago, but he bounced back from that and he’s killing it right now.”

Fellow freshman defensive tackle Floyd Boucard, who also graduated early from high school to attend USC a semester early, said the two have developed a “great friendship” due to being in similar situations and getting to compete with each other on a daily basis.

“It’s just two guys growing up, having the same goal. We’re driven,” Boucard said in a post-practice news conference Wednesday. “He keep[s] pushing me, and I’m pushing him.”

Coming from Reserve, Louisiana — a city just outside New Orleans — Stewart said his teammates have had to get used to his fast talking style, but he also said his Louisiana ties allow him to bring the team together with his patented jokes and smile.

“They did welcome me with open arms,” Stewart said of his Trojan teammates. “That’s one thing about this team — we all coming together.”

Stewart and the Trojans will face off against Michigan State (3-0) on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.