On Friday August 29, 2025, USC Trojans Football Head Coach Lincoln Riley announced that freshman defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart and freshman cornerback Alex Graham will not play in the team’s season opening matchup against Missouri State.
Stewart is listed as a backup defensive tackle for USC, behind starter Jide Abasiri. The five-star freshman has been dealing with a foot injury that has kept him in a walking boot in the week leading up to the game.
Graham was also expected to be a significant contributor for the Trojans against the Bears, with defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn even saying that Graham has been getting work with the first team defense.
Trojan fans will have to wait at least another week to watch the two most highly regarded 2025 recruits make their debut for USC.
Who Will Step Up At Corner, D Tackle for USC?
In the absence of Stewart, Trojan fans will fortunately get to see another highly-touted freshman in action: Floyd Boucard.
Boucard is a four-star recruit out of Miami Central High School who is originally from Montreal, Quebec. He grew up playing hockey instead of football.
But at 6’3’’ and 305 lbs, he’s a physical monster. His defensive teammates and staff have consistently reiterated that he is supremely confident for how inexperienced he is and they expected him to contribute to USC in 2025, injuries or not.
So keep a look out for #88 on Saturday.
It’s looking like USC is going to be thin at cornerback even beyond Graham. UCF transfer corner Chasen Johnson is also dealing with an injury. He is going to be a game-time decision, Lincoln Riley announced.
Redshirt senior cornerback Prophet Brown also recently suffered a lower body injury that is going to sideline him for multiple games.
The Trojans will need to lean heavily on two veteran starters atop the depth chart, DJ Harvey and DeCarlos Nicholson, to carry that position group. Behind them, it’s two redshirt freshmen, Marcelles Williams and Braylon Conley, that should see playing time.
Other USC Debuts To Watch
USC fans are going to understandably be disappointed that they won’t get to see Stewart and Graham make their collegiate debut on Saturday.
But luckily for Trojan fans, there are plenty of other players making their USC debut to keep an eye on.
For starters, true freshman wide receiver Tanook Hines is making his debut as the starting third wide receiver for USC.
Hines’ position at the top of the WR3 depth chart comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that he beat out more established veterans Zacharyus Williams and Prince Strachan. It will be very exciting to see Hines show off the skillset that earned him the starting job as a true freshman.
@nextupjacob
The other most exciting debuts will be at running back. RB1 Waymond Jordan and RB2 Eli Sanders will both be making their USC debuts on Saturday.
Jordan, the former JUCO superstar, is atop the depth chart for now. But don’t bet against New Mexico transfer Sanders having a big game.
Riley says this is the deepest running back room he’s ever had. Now the onus is on those guys and Bryan Jackson to prove it.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Two Top USC Football Freshmen To Miss Season Opener With Injury appeared first on Heavy Sports.