Domani Jackson on his Injury Recovery and the 'Long Path' Back to the Practice Field

Cornerback Domani Jackson was one of the first major recruiting wins of the Lincoln Riley era at USC. The Five-Star Plus+ prospect was the nation’s No. 5 overall recruit in the 2022 On3 Industry Rankings. But Jackson suffered a serious knee injury during the first game of his senior season at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei. Not only did that cost him his entire senior year, but the surgery and subsequent recovery also sidelined him for spring ball as an early enrollee at USC.

Like many rehab stories, the journey back to the field for Jackson didn’t follow a simple or straightforward path. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback suffered several setbacks during his return. He missed the first three games of the season before getting his first snaps against Oregon State. Jackson’s longest stretch of play came the following week against Arizona State. But he left the subsequent game against Washington State after just three plays on special teams.

Jackson didn’t play in five games after that and saw limited action in the final few games of the season.

He said he understood the need to go slowly with his recovery process. But that didn’t make the start-and-stop nature of his true freshman season any less frustrating.

“It was a little tough at first,” Jackson said. “But it’s always good to overcome something in your life. So I think I overcame that.”

Jackson said he didn’t start to really feel like himself until after the season was over. That return to near-full health makes this an important spring for Jackson. He said it’s been “real fun” to actually be on the field participating this spring compared to what he was doing last year.

“It’s been a long path,” Jackson said, adding that he didn’t think it would take this long to return to health. “But I’ll be good.”

Jackson Knocking Off the Rust

Head coach Lincoln Riley referred to Jackson as knocking off the rust this spring after not being on the practice field for an extended period for two years. Jackson said he has “a little work to do” to get himself all the way back to the top-end speed that earned him the state record in the 100-meter dash.

A lot of that bounceback will come now that Jackson is fully trusting his previously injured knee.

“It’s always a struggle coming off of knee surgery,” Jackson said. “Just gaining that confidence. It plays a big role in your play. I think I’m real confident in my knee this year.”

Jackson said he tries to get in as many post-practice sessions as possible working with position coach Donte Williams. It’s clear that bond is a strong one. Jackson would likely have signed with Alabama if Williams wasn’t retained on the USC staff. The two go over and rep any mistakes Jackson had during that practice.

The mental reps he’s been able to take have been extremely helpful. Jackson said the biggest step forward for him over the past year as a cornerback has come in his understanding of the game.

“In high school, I could out-physical everybody, faster than everybody,” Jackson said. “But in college, it’s a different story. You actually have to know the game of football. Which, Donte and everybody have been trying to really get me right in that.”

Competing in a Crowded Room

Even with the loss of Mekhi Blackmon to the NFL, the USC cornerback position has a chance to take a step forward this year. Jackson, Ceyair Wright, Jacobe Covington and Christian Roland-Wallace have all drawn praise from coaches. Prophet Brown and Fabian Ross were also mentioned as doing well following Thursday’s practice.

There are very few players in all of college football with Jackson’s athletic ceiling if he can return all the way to 100% healthy. He’d give the Trojans one of the fastest players in the sport with the size and demeanor to match up with wide receivers and help in the run game.

Jackson said he’s shaken off any thought of needing to live up to the 5-star billing that came with him to USC. In fact, he said he never cared about the ranking at all.

“I’m just a regular kid doing what regular kids do,” Jackson said. “Just trying to outwork everybody every single day.”