USC Trojans Highest NIL Earners: Keeshawn Silver, Jahkeem Stewart

The landscape of college football has changed when it comes to the transfer portal and high school recruiting because of NIL, and defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver and Jahkeem Stewart are two of the highest earners on the USC Trojans roster because of it.

Oct 26, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver (9) celebrates after a missed field goal by the Auburn Tigers during the third quarter at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The NCAA transfer portal was first introduced in 2018, but when name, image and likeness came along, the two collided and created college football’s version of NFL free agency. Every winter and spring, thousands of student-athletes will enter their name into a database for various reasons. And with the sport still trying to adjust to the new norm, there are essentially no rules, and it becomes an all-out bidding war. The USC Trojans have been on both sides of the equation, landing and losing top-tier talent in the portal over the past few seasons. 

Student-athletes have hired NIL agents to help them land the biggest deal with collectives and navigate the open market. Premium positions like quarterback command higher prices, Former Georgia transfer Carson Beck was offered $4 million by Miami and Texas signal-caller Quinn Ewers was reportedly offered $8 million to enter the portal before deciding to enter the NFL Draft. 

Other positions like offensive tackle, defensive line and edge rushers would be next line because of have few of them become available that could greatly impact a roster. The price range has skyrocketed over the last year, ranging from $750,000 to $1 million now. According to an SEC personnel, the Trojans offered Kentucky defensive line transfer Keeshawn Silver $1 million to head out west. 

Oct 26, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver (9) celebrates after a missed field goal by the Auburn Tigers during the third quarter at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

A former five-star recruit in the 2021 cycle, Silver became of the most coveted players in the portal when he decided to leave Lexington. Silver chose USC over Florida, Miami and Michigan. He fills an immediate need left on the interior of the defensive line with Gavin Meyer and Nate Clifton exhausting their eligibility, and Bear Alexander transferring from the program. 

With the Trojans joining the Big Ten conference last season, a conference where everything begins at the line of scrimmage, the need for Silver was vital. Silver brings his massive 6-4, 335-pound frame to Los Angeles and with his dollar amount, high expectations in 2025. 

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USC also landed former Georgia defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett to help create a defensive front that is not only serviceable in the Big Ten, but one that can create problems for the rest of the conference. Devan Thompkins, Kobe Pepe and Jide Abasiri all return on the interior of the defensive line. 

Five-star freshman Jahkeem Stewart will also be a factor on the defensive line. The Trojans were able to land the highly coveted defender over in-state LSU, Oregon and Ohio State. During his official visit to USC in November, the Trojans pulled out all of the stops to show what the Los Angeles area has to offer for its student-athletes.

Stewart, nicknamed “Thanos” met with people from Marvel Studios executives, visited FOX Sports, dined at Nobu in Malibu and met prominent USC people involved in real estate development. The Louisiana native is reportedly receiving between $2 to $3 million in NIL collectives. 

“There’s a lot of off-the-field activities I can take advantage of,” Stewart told On3. 

Nov 16, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

In addition to the football aspect, Stewart was looking at his career after his playing days when making a decision. 

“When the ball stops bouncing what are you left with, what are going to be your resources and network you’re able to tap into and move on and progress in a career in life," Stewart told On3. "USC did an excellent job of displaying and putting him in contact with people in places you can obviously see would pay dividends for him as a professional after his football career is over with. That’s one of the things I think for me is at the forefront.”