Full story from Domani Jackson's long-awaited first interview at USC a few days ago, as he opened up a little about what this last year and a half has been like for him:
Domani Jackson never really did bask in the spotlight that came with being a highly-ranked, five-star prospect. The coveted cornerback from Mater Dei High School would have preferred to play out his recruitment without any such fanfare or scrutiny.
Like it or not, though, that spotlight endures once fans attach expectations to those recruiting rankings.
Defensive end Korey Foreman arrived at USC as a five-star top national prospect a year before Jackson and can attest to that. He has 2.5 career sacks through two seasons (plus one incredible game-sealing interception vs. UCLA, of course), but while he's yet to carve out a major role within the Trojans defense he is nonetheless asked about and debated on message boards as much as any player on the team, as he continues to develop and find his own path separate from the hype and timetable of others.
In Jackson's case, he hasn't had much of a chance to deliver on his potential while missing most of his senior high school season and first USC season due to knee surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation process. But he too remains affixed under that same spotlight of interest, intrigue and -- in the case of last Thursday -- inquisition.
Is he fully healthy? Is he the same elite athlete he was before the injury? Where is his confidence after such a significant rehab process? Could this be a breakout season for the No. 3-ranked CB and No. 17 overall national prospect from the 2022 recruiting class?
Jackson seemed reluctant to face that flurry of questions and dissect his physical (and really mental) condition now, about a year and a half removed from surgery to repair his patellar tendon, but he took his spot along the fence of the Trojans' practice field Thursday in front of a flank of cameras and reporters for his first interview since arriving at USC.
As for that spotlight of interest that follows him because of what many think he can do for the program, Jackson not surprisingly said he doesn't -- or prefers not to -- notice.
"No, not really. Truthfully, I didn't really care about five-star and stuff like that. I was never big in my head about that stuff," he said. "I'm just a regular kid doing what regular kids do -- just try to outwork everybody every single day. So nah, that doesn't really bother me."
He did open up more and more as the questions came, all really probing at the same points -- how is his knee feeling now and what has the mental challenge of the recovery process been over all these months?
"I feel great. Knee is coming along, so I can't complain," Jackson said. "Obviously, I came off of surgery so I can't just rush back. I have to trust my body and just trust the PTs here -- they've been great, phenomenal actually."
Jackson did play in seven games as a true freshman, mostly on special teams, tallying 2 tackles and 1 pass breakup. He didn't want to delve into what setbacks he had to overcome on the way last year, as he missed four games in the latter middle part of the schedule before returning to action down the stretch.
Even when he was on the field, though, Jackson admitted he wasn't all the way back. He said it probably wasn't until after the season that he started truly feeling like himself again.
"I wasn't really trusting my body," he said.
As for this spring?
"It's always a struggle coming off of knee surgery, just getting that confidence it plays a big role in your play. I'm real confident in my knee this year," he said.
It's easy to see why Jackson was ranked so highly as a recruit and why his potential remains such a primary matter of intrigue. He's got an ideal frame for a cornerback at 6-foot-1 190 pounds and tied the California high school state record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.25 seconds in the state championship meet as a junior.
Does he feel he has that same speed now?
"I've got a little work to do, little work to do," Jackson acknowledged. "It's just doing it every single day, day in and day out, even when you're sore, tired."
To the untrained eye, seeing only limited moments of practice as reporters do, Jackson certainly still looks the part, running through drills at full speed, making sharp cuts.
"It's been very positive. He's pushed through, he's learning what it takes at this level and he's getting better each and every day. The talent there is undeniable," Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said Saturday.
Of course, it's not just about getting physically right or confident in that knee -- Jackson is still learning this Trojans defense and working to build his confidence in all that is required for success at the college level.
That is its own process, which seems to be expediting now that he's been able to consistently practice this spring.
Jackson was the last player to make it over to the interview area after practice Thursday as he remained on the field working with USC DBs coach Donte Williams on his technique, after most all of his teammates had already headed toward the locker room.
That's a regular routine after practices, Jackson said.
"Definitely just the knowledge of football. In high school, I would just out-physical everybody, [was] faster than everybody. But in college it's a different story. You've actually got to know the game of football, which Donte and everybody have been really trying to get me right in that," Jackson said.
"Just learning the defense, really. Which was a little difficult at first because I really didn't know defense like that until I got here."
Said Riley: "In some ways he's kind of going through those things that you go through your true freshman year. You're learning to compete against really good other players that are on the other side of the ball every single day. Defensively, from a college standpoint, learning the entire defense and being able to play different calls, different techniques. You can really see him day to day where he'll do some things well and then he'll make a mistake, but then he'll be able to correct it the next day and then keep going forward."
While Arizona transfer Christian Roland-Wallace looks set to man one of the cornerback spots for USC this fall, the other side remains unsettled as a compelling competition brews between Ceyair Wright and Jacobe Covington -- who split the starts there last season -- and Jackson.
"It's great. That's what you come to college for is competition. You're not just going to walk into a spot, so you've just got to compete every day," Jackson said.
That is the key word -- Jackson is competing not just against his fellow cornerbacks or the receivers he matches up with, but also competing to continue to rebuild whatever he's still chasing physically and mentally.
"Coming from a prestigious high school and coming to college and just sitting on the sidelines and stuff like that, you know you could be out there, you've just got to take it slow, it was a little tough at first," he said. "But it's always good to overcome something in your life."
To that pe was asked if he expected the rehab process would be this long, this challenging ...
"Honestly, no. It's been a long path," Jackson said. "But I'm getting over it, I'll be good."
TrojanSports - USC CB Domani Jackson opens up about his road back from knee surgery
Domani Jackson shares insight into his path back from major knee surgery and how he's feeling this spring for USC.
USC.rivals.com
Domani Jackson never really did bask in the spotlight that came with being a highly-ranked, five-star prospect. The coveted cornerback from Mater Dei High School would have preferred to play out his recruitment without any such fanfare or scrutiny.
Like it or not, though, that spotlight endures once fans attach expectations to those recruiting rankings.
Defensive end Korey Foreman arrived at USC as a five-star top national prospect a year before Jackson and can attest to that. He has 2.5 career sacks through two seasons (plus one incredible game-sealing interception vs. UCLA, of course), but while he's yet to carve out a major role within the Trojans defense he is nonetheless asked about and debated on message boards as much as any player on the team, as he continues to develop and find his own path separate from the hype and timetable of others.
In Jackson's case, he hasn't had much of a chance to deliver on his potential while missing most of his senior high school season and first USC season due to knee surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation process. But he too remains affixed under that same spotlight of interest, intrigue and -- in the case of last Thursday -- inquisition.
Is he fully healthy? Is he the same elite athlete he was before the injury? Where is his confidence after such a significant rehab process? Could this be a breakout season for the No. 3-ranked CB and No. 17 overall national prospect from the 2022 recruiting class?
Jackson seemed reluctant to face that flurry of questions and dissect his physical (and really mental) condition now, about a year and a half removed from surgery to repair his patellar tendon, but he took his spot along the fence of the Trojans' practice field Thursday in front of a flank of cameras and reporters for his first interview since arriving at USC.
As for that spotlight of interest that follows him because of what many think he can do for the program, Jackson not surprisingly said he doesn't -- or prefers not to -- notice.
"No, not really. Truthfully, I didn't really care about five-star and stuff like that. I was never big in my head about that stuff," he said. "I'm just a regular kid doing what regular kids do -- just try to outwork everybody every single day. So nah, that doesn't really bother me."
He did open up more and more as the questions came, all really probing at the same points -- how is his knee feeling now and what has the mental challenge of the recovery process been over all these months?
"I feel great. Knee is coming along, so I can't complain," Jackson said. "Obviously, I came off of surgery so I can't just rush back. I have to trust my body and just trust the PTs here -- they've been great, phenomenal actually."
Jackson did play in seven games as a true freshman, mostly on special teams, tallying 2 tackles and 1 pass breakup. He didn't want to delve into what setbacks he had to overcome on the way last year, as he missed four games in the latter middle part of the schedule before returning to action down the stretch.
Even when he was on the field, though, Jackson admitted he wasn't all the way back. He said it probably wasn't until after the season that he started truly feeling like himself again.
"I wasn't really trusting my body," he said.
As for this spring?
"It's always a struggle coming off of knee surgery, just getting that confidence it plays a big role in your play. I'm real confident in my knee this year," he said.
It's easy to see why Jackson was ranked so highly as a recruit and why his potential remains such a primary matter of intrigue. He's got an ideal frame for a cornerback at 6-foot-1 190 pounds and tied the California high school state record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.25 seconds in the state championship meet as a junior.
Does he feel he has that same speed now?
"I've got a little work to do, little work to do," Jackson acknowledged. "It's just doing it every single day, day in and day out, even when you're sore, tired."
To the untrained eye, seeing only limited moments of practice as reporters do, Jackson certainly still looks the part, running through drills at full speed, making sharp cuts.
"It's been very positive. He's pushed through, he's learning what it takes at this level and he's getting better each and every day. The talent there is undeniable," Trojans coach Lincoln Riley said Saturday.
Of course, it's not just about getting physically right or confident in that knee -- Jackson is still learning this Trojans defense and working to build his confidence in all that is required for success at the college level.
That is its own process, which seems to be expediting now that he's been able to consistently practice this spring.
Jackson was the last player to make it over to the interview area after practice Thursday as he remained on the field working with USC DBs coach Donte Williams on his technique, after most all of his teammates had already headed toward the locker room.
That's a regular routine after practices, Jackson said.
"Definitely just the knowledge of football. In high school, I would just out-physical everybody, [was] faster than everybody. But in college it's a different story. You've actually got to know the game of football, which Donte and everybody have been really trying to get me right in that," Jackson said.
"Just learning the defense, really. Which was a little difficult at first because I really didn't know defense like that until I got here."
Said Riley: "In some ways he's kind of going through those things that you go through your true freshman year. You're learning to compete against really good other players that are on the other side of the ball every single day. Defensively, from a college standpoint, learning the entire defense and being able to play different calls, different techniques. You can really see him day to day where he'll do some things well and then he'll make a mistake, but then he'll be able to correct it the next day and then keep going forward."
While Arizona transfer Christian Roland-Wallace looks set to man one of the cornerback spots for USC this fall, the other side remains unsettled as a compelling competition brews between Ceyair Wright and Jacobe Covington -- who split the starts there last season -- and Jackson.
"It's great. That's what you come to college for is competition. You're not just going to walk into a spot, so you've just got to compete every day," Jackson said.
That is the key word -- Jackson is competing not just against his fellow cornerbacks or the receivers he matches up with, but also competing to continue to rebuild whatever he's still chasing physically and mentally.
"Coming from a prestigious high school and coming to college and just sitting on the sidelines and stuff like that, you know you could be out there, you've just got to take it slow, it was a little tough at first," he said. "But it's always good to overcome something in your life."
To that pe was asked if he expected the rehab process would be this long, this challenging ...
"Honestly, no. It's been a long path," Jackson said. "But I'm getting over it, I'll be good."
