USC CB, former five-star Domani Jackson to enter transfer portal

A day after reports circulated that five-star freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson would enter the transfer portal, it was five-star sophomore cornerback Domani Jackson's turn.

Randy Lee, Jackson’s father, confirmed the news to TrojanSports.com on Monday.

Meanwhile, former Trojans star defensive back Su'a Cravens tweeted that he had talked to Jackson and expected him to land at either Alabama or Michigan.

Jackson was ranked the No. 3 cornerback and No. 17 overall prospect in the 2022 recruiting class out of local Mater Dei HS.

He would be the third local five-star prospect to enter the transfer portal from USC this month, following running back/receiver Raleek Brown (also from Mater Dei) and Nelson (from Los Alamitos).

Needless to say, not only has USC struggled to land top local prospects in recent years but the ones it has signed have largely struggled to pan out either due to performance or transfer departures.

Jackson's first year at USC was undermined by his recovery from knee surgery for a patellar injury sustained in high school. He played a limited role in seven games last season before emerging as a starter as a sophomore this fall.

Jackson logged 668 defensive snaps for USC this fall, though he battled his inconsistencies due to the lost development time his senior year of HS and much of his first year at USC. Per PFF, he gave up completions on 20 of 31 passes targeted at him for 411 yards and 2 touchdowns, receiving a 60.0 coverage grade. He finished with 33 tackles and 3 pass breakups.

After the departure of DBs coach Donte Williams, who played a pivotal role in Jackson's recruitment, the cornerback posted a broken heart emoji on Instagram.

This makes 13 Trojans departing to the portal this month (not counting DL Jamar Sekona, who wasn't on the team this past year but also entered the portal).