LOS ANGELES — USC defensive end Jahkeem Stewart played the entire season with a stress fracture in his foot, head coach Lincoln Riley told reporters on Monday.
The 6-foot-5, 290-pound true freshman, who had 18 tackles and 1½ sacks in 11 games, had surgery the day after the Nov. 29 regular-season finale against UCLA.
“He showed an incredible toughness,” Riley said. “Pretty remarkable. (It) hampered the ability to practice him and prepare him a lot, which makes the contribution he made to this team this year even more impressive.”
As a result, Stewart will not participate in the Alamo Bowl, where the No. 16 Trojans (9-3) will take on TCU (8-4) on Dec. 30 in San Antonio.
Riley listed several other players who have opted out of the game during media availability on Monday evening, but he did not disclose reasons as to why.
“I’m not making announcements for individual players,” he said.
Defensive back Kamari Ramsey, wide receiver Makai Lemon, wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, tight end Lake McRee and linebacker Eric Gentry will not play in the game due to non-health-related reasons.
Lane, Ramsey and McRee have already announced that they intend to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. Lemon, as of Monday night, has yet to announce his decision.
Defensive end Anthony Lucas and defensive back Bishop Fitzgerald are dealing with injuries, but they are hoping to play in the game, Riley said.
Offensive linemen Kilian O’Connor and Elijah Paige have each had offseason surgery and will not be recovered enough to play.
It’s also unlikely that any early enrollees from USC’s top-ranked recruiting class will be able to take part in the bowl game.
“It’s complicated,” Riley said. “It’s not as easy to just show up one day and come out and practice. There’s a lot of certification that has to go on, so I don’t know that we’re going to be able to do that with our guys this time around.”
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