Lincoln Riley's 6-foot-6, 270-pound USC freshman gives tough fight to NFL star Aaron Donald in weight room workout

Lincoln Riley became the USC Trojans coach in 2022. Last season, he helped the team to a 7-6 record and a Las Vegas Bowl victory over Texas A&M. Riley is now gearing up for his fourth stint with the Trojans and his second as a part of the Big Ten.

One of the players from USC to watch out for this upcoming season is 6-foot-6, 270-pound freshman defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart. The former five-star recruit joined the program as a part of the Class of 2025. On Thursday, Stewart went viral on social media.

On Instagram, Lincoln Riley's freshman DL shared a story. It showcased him working out in the weight room with Super Bowl LVI champion and LA Rams legend Aaron Donald. Both Stewart and Donald flexed their physiques in front of the camera.

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This is a great opportunity for someone like Stewart to learn the game from a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Donald played for Pittsburgh during his collegiate career. The Rams then selected him with the 13th pick in the 2014 NFL draft.

Donald spent 10 seasons in the league, playing 154 games for the Rams while starting 150 of them. He recorded a total of 543 tackles, 176 tackles for loss and 260 quarterback hits during his NFL career. He was also honored as a 10-time Pro Bowler before hanging up his cleats in March 2024.

Anonymous coach sheds light on Lincoln Riley's major weakness ahead of his 2025 campaign with the Trojans

USC has a history of developing quarterbacks. Under Lincoln Riley, the Trojans honed Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, who now plays for the Chicago Bears. However, an anonymous Big Ten coach believes Riley needs to focus on other positions if he wants success in 2025.

According to Saturday's article by Athlon Sports, the coach claimed the Trojans' previous success was because of their strong defense. He also talked about the new defensive talent Riley brought into the team for the upcoming season.

"The talk is all about Lincoln Riley making another elite quarterback, but I think the metric here should be how much that defense can improve both on the field and in recruiting," the coach said.

"Both the transfers and the freshman (Jahkeem Stewart) will make the defensive line better. That's what gets lost about the USC teams that won big, they were killers in the front seven. That's been missing ... Watch the defense. If they take that next step, we're talking about a team that can go in and play with the best programs in the nation again."

The Trojans begin their 2025 campaign with a season opener against the Missouri State Bears. It is scheduled to be played on Aug. 30 at the LA Memorial Coliseum with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET.

About the author

Priyam is a College Sports content executive at Sportskeeda with a master's in Advertising and Marketing Management and over two years of experience as a writer. When it comes to reporting, Priyam believes doing a technical deep dive is one of his biggest strengths and he loves to dissect plays on the field and factor out the strengths/weaknesses of players.

A fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide football team, Priyam sees Nick Saban as the greatest coach of all time. He is also rooting for Alabama quarterback Jalen Milore after following his progress over the years. The Michigan Wolverines football team is another of his favorite programs and it will be interesting to see how both these teams perform in new coaching eras.

When he’s not reporting, Priyam is usually at the gym or indulging in music. He has been a guitarist and a drummer for the past 17 years and finds his time of peace when playing music.

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Edited by R. Elahi