Simple message from USC defensive tackle speaks volumes

Seeing Jahkeem Stewart on the USC campus only further adds to the excitement of the season to come. His debut is one of the more highly anticipated starts to a Trojan career that there has been in a while. Looking back, it is an incredible feat that USC was able to secure the commitment of someone who was at one point the top overall recruit in the 2026 class.

Now slated to begin his career in Troy on Saturday, the attention will only heighten that much more as game time approaches.

As shared by the university's account, Stewart could be seen with his position coach, coach Eric Henderson, with a 'Dawgwork' cap. At the end of the video, Stewart had a simple but telling message to the camera: "You either gettin’ better or you ain’t."

Encouraging signs at USC

For someone who should currently be underway with his senior year of high school football, it is clear that his own words are something that he has taken to heart his whole life. Stewart already looks like someone who could step foot in an NFL locker room. To see the team and Stewart in the video embracing the grind and needed work ethic that it takes to get better and be great is something of a switch from what has been observed in Troy in recent memory.

It is one thing to say the right things, but one can tell that there is a genuine sense with this team that they know the type of effort and dedication that will be required in order to have an improved record in 2025. With people like Stewart in the trenches and leading the way in the preparation for Saturday's game against Missouri State, it is safe to say that there will be a lot of eyes when the USC defense does take the field. Trojan fans will be hoping to see some of that 'dawg' mentality show up on the field.