Five-star cornerback Domani Jackson announced his commitment to USC on Saturday, choosing the Trojans over Arizona State, Clemson, Michigan and Ohio State.
Jackson is number 5 in the 2022 rankings and number 1 in California. He is a 6-foot, 190-pound corner worker at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, and offers USC prospectus no. 1 in the state two recruitment cycles in a row.
It may seem trivial, but coach Clay Helton and his staff have completed the 2020 cycle with the 54th-ranked recruiting class and only one ESPN 300 commitment in wide receiver Gary Bryant. Prospects in California were fleeing the state, including Bryce Young, the 2020 double-threatened defender who moved from USC to Alabama.
The Trojan staff, which added assistant coach Donte Williams in February 2020, have made a concerted effort to take the West back and keep local prospects at home.
These efforts bore fruit in the 2021 cycle as USC signed nine ESPN 300 recruits, including the No. 1 prospect in the state and five-star defensive end Korey Foreman.
The Trojans still have a chance to land on ESPN 300 defender Raesjon Davis. If Davis chooses USC, he would give the school three commitments from the first four perspectives in California.
Jackson’s commitment gives USC three ESPN Junior 300 commitments in 2022, along with defender Niuafe Tuihalamaka (No. 76 overall) and defender Fabian Ross (No. 190).