Auburn Daily

Auburn Is Competing For The Nation's Top 2026 Football Recruit

The Tigers want the nation's top 2026 recruit

Brian Smith

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Certain football recruits gain a big-time reputation and it's for a good reason.

Doing so in the eighth grade, however, would be much more rare. Some top prospects mature quicker – mentally and physically – to earn early offers. There's a certain young man in New Orleans who is on the shortlist of players to do it.

Jahkeem Stewart comes from St. Augustine in the Big Easy. He's a special talent who once won MVP at a Rivals camp as a mere eighth-grade recruit. Apparently that point is still remembered well. As of Jan. 17, Stewart is also Rivals' #1 player in the class of 2026. Watching Stewart's highlights helps to provide evidence for why he's at the top of the rankings.

He possesses a unique combination of size, length, speed, and power. Training at an early age with Edge Assassins is also helping Stewart defeat blocks with his hands and not just raw talent. Further, Stewart's instincts and tenacity aid him in making plays in the opponent's backfield; he's the total package.

College football programs are lining up to sign the 6-foot-6 and 270-pound defensive lineman. Even before reaching ninth grade, Stewart held verbal offers from Georgia, Alabama, and LSU. Auburn is another school that began recruiting Stewart early and Stewart visted the Plains in 2021.

The dominant defensive lineman released his Top 15 school choices. It's a who's-who list of college football programs that includes seven from the SEC, Auburn included.

For Auburn to continue the climb to reach the top of college football, adding Stewart to its roster would go a long way in helping that goal to become a reality.

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Brian Smith
BRIAN SMITH

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