5-Star CB Recruit Domani Jackson Commits to USC over Alabama

Photo: 247Sports

Cornerback Domani Jackson, one of the top recruits in the class of 2022, announced Friday that he will play his college football at USC. 

According to 247Sports, Jackson is a 5-star prospect who ranks as the No. 7 overall player, No. 2 cornerback and No. 1 player from the state of California in the 2022 class.

Before his decision, 247Sports listed USC and Alabama as the clear top two teams Jackson was considering.

Jackson has starred at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, and initially committed to USC in January.

The 6'1", 185-pound defensive back reopened his recruitment in November, however, a couple of months after the Trojans fired Clay Helton as head coach.

USC subsequently lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma to become its new head coach, putting it back in the mix to potentially land Jackson.

Jackson was highly sought after during the recruitment process for good reason, as he is already viewed as a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft down the line.

Greg Biggins, the 247Sports national recruiting analyst, compared Jackson to Indianapolis Colts cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who is a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time First Team All-Pro.

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Biggins noted that Jackson's long arms and physicality allow him to "bully" wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and excel in press coverage.

Getting Jackson back into the fold after he decommitted is one of the first major coups for Riley at USC.

The Trojans haven't been national title contenders for quite some time and haven't won double-digit games since 2017, but bringing in top-flight talent like Jackson could help change that.

Keeping California-based players like Jackson in their home state has been a challenge for USC in recent years, but Riley may be turning the tide back in the Trojans' favor.