Stewart Leaning to Reclassifying Per Spiegs?

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With Zyntreacs Otey reclassifying and Jahkeem Stewart likely following suit, more and more reclassifications are going to surface in this era of college football recruiting.

JAHKEEM STEWART
6.1 RATING
6'6"|266 LBS|SDE
ST. AUGUSTINE
NEW ORLEANS, LA
CLASS OF 2026
UNDECIDED

Gorney: FICTION. There seem to be a few recruits in recent cycles who have pushed up their reclassification but I'm not entirely sure it's because of NIL. That could partly have something to do with it but recruiting has moved up so much that players are regularly being contacted late in middle school or early in high school. Others are dominating so much (does Julian Lewis really need two more full years of high school?) that staying there seems like a waste of their time. For others, being young for your grade when it comes to NFL projection is a major bonus that they want to take advantage of. NIL money could be playing a real factor here but I don't see a mad rush to the exits for dollar bills. Here and there some prospects will do it but I don't think it's really a new trend that we'll see more and more of moving forward.

Spiegelman: FACT. When Quinn Ewers reclassified to be a senior at Southlake Carroll to get to Ohio State early, that was the early indicator that this was going to be the wave of the future. Ewers' decision was largely NIL motivated back then – a different time and age. While the majority of states across the country have opened the door for high school athletes to benefit off of their name, image and likeness, it remains a hurdle in certain places. By reclassifying and getting on campus earlier, it organically alleviates any roadblocks in student-athlete's ways in high school and also allows athletes an opportunity to get on campus earlier, get acclimated to the new setting and compete to get on the field earlier. In the NIL era, it seems inevitable that this will only continue. JuJu Lewis reclassified this time last year. Zyntreacs Otey just made a similar move, and there's buzz that Jahkeem Stewart will follow suit soon.

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