Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC Trojans Injury Update: Jahkeem Stewart, Chasen Johnson Expected to Make Debut

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Kendell Hollowell | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 3:30 PM ET

USC Trojans freshman defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart is expected to make his long-awaited debut against Georgia Southern on Saturday, Sep. 6.

Stewart was the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 cycle, before reclassifying to the 2025 class last October. The five-star recruit has played a limited amount of football, but USC defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn has praised his “really high football IQ."

“For being an incoming freshman, he's one of our smartest guys up front,” Lynn said.

Secondary

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Freshman defensive back Alex Graham’s debut will have to wait. The four-star recruit will be out another week.

Graham was expected to step into a starting role at the nickel position with redshirt senior Prophet Brown suffering a significant lower body injury in the second week of fall camp.

Last week, redshirt junior safety Kamari Ramsey moved down to nickel and junior Christian Pierce made his first career start, alongside redshirt senior Bishop Fitzgerald. Expect the Trojans to go with a three-safety defense again.

Sophomore cornerback Chasen Johnson is expected to make his Trojans debut. Johnson was limited for a majority of fall camp and missed the season opener.

The UCF transfer was brought in to be a significant contributor in the secondary. In his absence, redshirt freshmen Braylon Conley and Marcelles Williams were impressive in camp, after a strong showing in spring practice.

Good news is that USC has five cornerbacks they feel very comfortable with. Now, the question is what does the depth chart will look like behind redshirt seniors DeCarlos Nicholson and DJ Harvey when Big Ten play begins.

Running Back

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Sophomore running back Bryan Jackson is doubtful. Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders will lead the way, just as they did a week ago.

Redshirt freshman King Miller broke off a 75-yard touchdown run in his very first collegiate game and was the team’s leading rusher in week 1. He will be the No. 3 running back this week.

There’s a very good chance four-star freshman Harry Dalton will get more of a workload in the second half of the game gets out of hand. Dalton, a high school quarterback, is one of the most prolific players in Virginia history. He accounted for 11,282 total yards and 160 touchdowns in his career.

Riley has raved about the depth of the Trojans running back room and this week will be another opportunity to show it off.

Receiver Room

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Junior receiver Prince Strachan is doubtful after suffering an ankle injury in third quarter against Missouri State.

Strachan is listed as third on the depth chart and did not play until second half. Freshman Corey Simms and redshirt freshman Xavier Jordan could more involved if Strachan is unable to go.

This article first appeared on USC Trojans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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