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Jahkeem Stewart, the top football recruit in the nation in the class of 2026, suddenly dropped out of St. Augustine High School in New Orleans this week.
Stewart, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end, is the top-rated recruit in the country on three of the four major recruiting services. He holds offers from just about every school in the country and has earned the nickname “Thanos.”
But as of now. He’s without a team to play for.
NEWS: 2026 5-star DL Jahkeem Stewart is no longer enrolled at St Augustine High in New Orleans, multiple sources tell Rivals
Stewart is the No. 1 player in the country for 2026
— Sam Spiegelman (@samspiegs) September 6, 2024
Top Recruit Jahkeem Stewart Looking To Find New School In Immediate Future
Reports in the offseason suggested Stewart could reclassify and join the 2025 class. Current college stars such as Texas’ Quinn Ewers have reclassified in the past. And there is some suggestion that the move is tied to Stewart’s decision to leave St. Augustine.
“Stewart, the 6-foot-6, 275-pound high school junior, confirmed his departure from St. Augustine and told ESPN he plans to join a new program immediately, considering schools both in and out of Louisiana with hopes of enrolling as soon as Monday,” Eli Lederman of ESPN reports. The decision comes as Stewart is considering reclassifying into the 2025 class, presenting the possibility that he could complete his high school career this fall and land on a college campus as soon as January.”
Stewart also made a point to thank his previous high school on the way out.
“St. Augustine helped me become a way better man than I was going in there — it taught me a lot of things,” he said. “My plan is to find a school that I’m looking for to really just help with my decision — a place that will better me and help make the decision I’m trying to make.”
Ohio State, LSU, Alabama, Texas A&M and Georgia appear to be in the mix for Stewart, who visited several schools in the offseason.