• Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff WriterSep 6, 2024, 02:50 PM ET

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      Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

Five-star defensive end Jahkeem Stewart, ESPN’s No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2026, is no longer enrolled in New Orleans’ St. Augustine High School, ESPN confirmed Friday afternoon, opening the door to a seismic in-season transfer and a potential reclassification into the 2025 class.

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. 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.

“St. Augustine helped me become a way better man than I was going in there — it taught me a lot of things,” Stewart 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.”

An elite defensive line prospect, Stewart held offers from a list of power conference programs even before his freshman season at St. Augustine, where he emerged as an overwhelming pass-rushing force from on the edge and the interior. Stewart finished with 85 total tackles (33 for loss) and 20 sacks in his junior season last fall and played in the program’s season opener last Friday.

If Stewart decides to reclassify this fall, he will instantly become ESPN’s top uncommitted prospect in the 2025 cycle. Stewart released his top 15 schools earlier this year in a list packed with SEC and Big 10 programs along with Miami, Florida State and Colorado.

Stewart’s list of summer visits included trips to Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Texas and Auburn, and he was in Las Vegas in Week 1 for the neutral site opener between USC and LSU. Stewart does not plan to take any campus visits in Week 2.

“We just want to chill this weekend, possibly find a school,” he said. “I should be going to school somewhere Monday or Tuesday.”